Born To Be
by Sorana3
Summary: Skylar, along with her older brother Major William Lennox, suffer a loss and an unfortunate turn of events one fateful night. In concern and desperation for his grieving sister Will does what he swore he never would and brings her to Diego Garcia to be under his watchful eyes. There she stumbles upon the Autobots, who will forever change the course of her life. [Slow-build Romance]
1. Chapter 1: The Death of a Good Life

_I'm going to leave an official Author's Note for the end of the chapter, so this here is just a standard disclaimer and rating explanation, plus a small advisory. It's a long chapter, so if anyone takes the time to read this I figure it'd be beneficial to just let you jump into the story as soon as possible. Enjoy!_

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers in any way, shape or form. Hasbro owns Transfromers. This is strictly fanfiction, and is done for fun, learning and creative purposes only. This Disclaimer applies to the entirety of this story. The only thing I own are my OC's and perhaps, just barely, any plot lines in this story which do not pertain to any pre-existing Transformers plots from any of the multiple universes._**

 ** _Rating: This story has a current rating of Teen+ for violence, potentially graphic scenes, potential language and possible sexual references. Rating is likely to go up to Mature later on in the story (way later)._**

 ** _Anything I consider extreme or offensive will still be outlined at the beginning of the chapter in the form of an Advisory for reader's discretion._**

 ** _Advisory: There is a small section in this chapter pertaining to the military that may offend some readers. The scene is not a reflection of my own views or opinions, but rather a necessary conflict within my OC._**

* * *

 **~Chapter One~**

 **The Death of a Good Life**

* * *

 _Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Everything was peaceful in one lone room of the maternity ward. The soft beeping of medical equipment droned on, keeping a steady rhythm with the heart of the exhausted woman they closely monitored.

The woman sighed, content as she peered beyond her sweat coated brown locks to the quiet bundle that lay securely in her arms atop her breast. She shifted slightly in the bed to get more comfortable and smiled to herself at the small whine her newborn girl gave in protest. She reached out and stroked her little girl's cheek affectionately, letting her know she was there and safe. The baby nuzzled back against her hand unconsciously.

The woman looked up towards the doorway as it opened, allowing a rather exuberant young boy entrance. A nurse trailed in behind him with a smile of her own as the eight year old ran in, jumping and settling onto the arm chair beside the bed with a wide grin.

"Hey Mom!" The boy greeted with enthusiasm, happy to finally see his mother again after many hours of waiting.

"Hey Will." The woman looked over at the nurse, who was busying herself currently checking the readings on the machines. "I hope you've been good for the nurses while I've been in here."

"Yup." Will said with a nod, popping the 'p'. He then looked his mother up and down with worry over her current, ragged state. He'd never seen her so worn. "Are you okay Mom? You look pretty roughed up."

The woman reached out and patted her son's check gently. "I'm fine. Just a little tired is all. Having a baby takes a lot of work and energy." She ruffled his golden brown hair playfully, causing the boy to laugh and shake his head away, smiling brightly.

The boy's eyes then fell towards the small bundle in her arms, and his bright smile was replaced with an intensely curious gaze. He tilted forward against the rail of the bed to get a better look. "And this is her? This is my new little sister?"

"Yes it is." His mother rocked the resting baby gently in her arms.

Will's next question was hesitant, yet it somehow still managed confidence rarely seen in one so young. "Can...Can I hold her?"

The mother looked up into her sons eyes, which were wide in honesty and pleading. Of course he didn't need to go to such lengths to ask for something so simple. He was responsible for an eight year old, and she trusted him. "Of course, sweetheart." She looked over towards the nurse, asking for assistance. She was too weak to sit up for now.

The nurse walked over and carefully took up the swaddled baby into her arms, shushing softly as the baby squirmed and started fussing lightly. Will sat straight and proper in the armchair, arms cradled as the nurse set the newborn in them slowly.

The baby stopped fussing and relaxed almost immediately. Will held his arms around her securely in slight fear of dropping her. He stared down at her with a mixture of awe and fascination for a moment. His brow crinkled in a frown as he noticed a strange spot upon the baby's chest, not quite covered by the blanket. The patch of skin, which was surprisingly geometric in shape, was much darker than the surrounding area.

"What's this mark on her chest, Mom?" He asked quizzically.

"It's called a birthmark. Some babies are born with them. It's not harmful though." His mother explained.

"It looks..." Will searched for the right word, but even the one he settled for didn't feel like it fit. "Weird."

"It's not weird, sweetheart." His mother scolded gently. "It's just unique. Like her. Like you."

That fit. Will smiled gently, practising with rocking the baby cautiously. The tiny bundle attempted to snuggle closer to his chest as a result. He felt a burst of joy at the motion, his heart tightening like it was being compressed by the very power of the emotion.

His mind was a hectic maze of questions at every turn. He wanted to blurt them all out, but instead he held them back. He saw how tired his mother was, and they could all wait till later, when they went home. However the one that swam at the forefront of his mind was one he just had to ask. "What are you going to name her?"

His mother hummed thoughtfully. "For her middle name I think I'm going to give her the name Elizabeth, after your grandmother. As for her first name..." Will looked up when his mother hesitated. Her eyes were calculating, weighing something and also seeking approval as Will waited patiently. "What do you think about 'Skylar'?"

Will couldn't say he knew anyone personally with that name. It certainly wasn't common or overused like the names carried by many of the other kids in his public school. Above all it was beautiful and unique...Just like she was. "I think it's perfect." He spoke with conviction.

His mother relaxed back against the bed in satisfaction with a tender curve to her lips as she watched her two beloved children.

Will grinned down at his sister and tested out her full name for himself. "Skylar Elizabeth Lennox." It flowed absolutely perfectly. It was the one for her, and he wouldn't let anyone tell him differently. He didn't think his mother would argue anyways.

Will felt a swell of appreciation and happiness unlike anything else he'd experienced before. He desperately wished his father were here right now to meet her, to share in this moment as a new member was added to their family. But his father could not return home for a while still...And Will knew he'd be away just as often. In light of that realization Will suddenly felt obliged to make a vow as the big brother he now was. One he was more than happy to keep.

"You listen here, little sister." Will whispered to her quietly and seriously. "I'm never gonna let anything happen to you. I'll always be there for you and I'll always protect you. I'm your big brother, it's my job. And I promise you we'll be closer than ever. You'll never feel alone as long as we're together."

At that moment the newborn's eyes opened for the first time, and Will marvelled at the innocence in them as they looked up at him so calmly and curiously.

They were a deep, soul-searching sky blue...

* * *

 _ **2O Years Later...**_

Fields of tall grass swayed gently in the warm breeze, creating a soft swishing sound that was soothing and pleasing to the senses. The blades lightly reflected the golden hue of the sun as it continued to warm the earth, making it's path slowly across the sky and towards the horizon as the afternoon drew on. Birds twittered and chirped lively in the trees surrounding the large expanse of land, composing a unique symphony of their own that was both beautiful and joyful.

I stood there calmly at the centre of it all, relishing in the feel of sun against my lightly tanned skin and taking in all of the peaceful scenery, allowing myself to relax after a long day of labour. The breeze picked up slightly, blowing strands of long golden brown hair into my face which I lazily swept away, tucking it behind my ears. A soft nicker drew my attention to the quarter horse that was ground-tied nearby, bay coat gleaming with health as he grazed calmly, peering at me every now and then with large brown eyes.

Taking a deep breath, I crouched down beside the silver pipeline that was part of the farms sprinkler system and gave the knob at one of the junctions a quick twist, allowing the water to flow back through and begin raining rejuvenating water down on the crop field. Satisfied with my work for the day, I wandered over to the bay. He raised his muzzle in interest, grass dangling from the corners as I walked up to him and patted his sleek neck.

"What do you think, ready to call it a day and get the hell out of here?" I laughed as the bay gave an eager bob of his head and nudged me, taking that as a yes and climbing into the saddle. With the rhythmic drumming of hooves the horse vaulted into a gallop back across the farmland towards the stables. It was a long trek back as we lopped across rolling hills, passing many large herds of cattle that mooed and snuffled nosily, and calves that bucked and spun in playful circles around their parents.

As the long red building came into view I caught the sight of a tall lanky old man with sparse grey hair waiting nearby who I immediately recognized as Jesse. He was my neighbour and friend, and for all intents and purposes my boss as well. This was his land, and I had been working as his farmhand almost every day for a few years now.

Jesse reached out and caught the reins as my horse came to a stop in front of him, allowing me to dismount swiftly with practised ease.

"I got the irrigation system back up and running," I informed him as he slowly lead the horse into the stables, me falling into step alongside. "The well pump stopped working, but it was easy enough to fix with the parts you had stored away. I also checked the entire system to make sure you don't have any more problems for a while."

"Thank you very much, Miss Skylar." Jesse spoke gratefully. "I know I've said this many times before, but you're an amazingly hard worker." We stopped in front of a stall door, where he tied the bay's lead up. He then turned to me, rummaged through his pockets, and held a small wad of bills out to me. I shifted a step back in uncertainty.

"What's that for?" I blinked down at the money in confusion.

"You did extra work today, you deserve a bit of a bonus."

I shook my head slowly. "I can't accept that. You don't have to pay me extra anything, okay? I did it out of kindness." Also because I actually wanted to. I enjoyed the work.

"Well then I'm doing this out of kindness too." The man thrust the bills in my direction insistently. When I still refused to budge he sighed and continued. "Look, with my sons working in the city and preparing to go back to college I've been really short on help around here. There's no telling how long it would have taken me to fix the water on my own. You're far more efficient at it then I am even with you not being born to a farming family. You've been working really hard over the past few years. You've earned this." He finished firmly. The stubborn set in his eyes let me know there wasn't a chance he was going to budge on the subject.

"Fine." I gave in, deflating slightly as I took the money. The man was too kind sometimes. "Thanks, Jesse." I smiled lightly, folding the money neatly into my pocket. When I stepped towards the horse to try and remove his tack, Jesse simply shook his head and waved me away.

"I'll take care of Ben here. You just head on home. I'm sure your dad is wondering where you are by now."

"Okay. Thanks again Jesse. Tell Tammy I said bye and I'll see you tomorrow." As I headed out the doors and down the gravel yard Jesse called after me.

"When are you planning on heading off to college, little missy?"

"When I'm ready." I called back over my shoulder, making my way down to the drive where my beloved antique car, a 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback was waiting. Its silver paint gleamed a pearly metallic in the afternoon light.

I opened the door and settled into the dark leather of the driver's seat, turning the key in the ignition. The engine came to life with a mighty roar as I shifted and set off down the long driveway, turning onto the dirt road for the short trip home. Upbeat country music filled the cabin, lifting my mood as I smiled and stepped on the gas. The Mustang's engine responded with a pleasant roar as it racing down the country road at a quick pace, kicking ample amounts of dust up the sides as it charged forward.

In record time I was back home. I pulled into the short gravel driveway and put the Mustang in park outside the faded brown barn that served as my garage. Turning off the ignition, I took a moment to flip through the paper bills Jesse had given me, counting the amount. I shook my head slowly and gave a critical hum.

"'A bit of a bonus'. Yeah right." The man really was too generous sometimes. Especially for a farmer around here where every single dollar counted towards the yearly income.

Storing the money in the glove compartment for now, I exited the car and took a cursory look around the yard, setting my attention momentarily on the house. It was old, white paint all but stripped bare of the siding. The two story structure appeared to sag slightly in places, although not to the point anyone would need to be worried about it's stability.

None of this was surprising given it's age. My grandfather had grown up in this place, and it had been his for as long as I or probably even my father could have remembered. However since my grandfather had passed away a year ago, the property was now in my father's name.

It meant a lot to our family. This was the placed where I had lived ever since I was about a year old. I'd been home schooled here and developed an interest and eventual love of mechanics courtesy of my grandfather. My fondest memories were of playing alongside my much older and good-natured brother as we both grew up. Unfortunately with my brother's age difference that had come to an end what felt like a very long time ago.

I analyzed the house carefully. At this time of hour I would of thought there would have been lights on inside, but the house was dark. Looking around at every corner of the property and walking briefly behind it, the Dodge Ram was nowhere in sight. My father must have gone out somewhere for the day, and it could be a while still before he returned. It was a fair distance to the closest city, hence the need to be home schooled in the first place. There was nothing but farm country for large sections of land in this area of Colorado.

Walking up to onto the porch and vaulting open the front door, I bolted up the creaky wooden steps upstairs to my room and tore off my dirty cloths. I walked into the attached bathroom, hopping quickly into the shower and turning the water to warm. The extra heat loosened the tense muscles in my shoulders and back. I took several extra moments just standing in the spray, leaning against the wall in relief before I scrubbed the rest of the dirt off my skin and headed back out of the shower to dry off and grab a fresh set of clothes. I pulled on a pair of loose jeans and one of my many high collared sleeveless tops, perfect for hiding the unusual birthmark that inhabited the centre of my chest.

Feeling relaxed and fresh I trucked back downstairs and outside, jogging back towards the barn. The sky was a deepening blue, the sun already having descended below the horizon, causing the air to cool down by noticeable increments. I quickly slid open the barn doors and drove the Mustang through them into its designated stop in the centre of the spacious building. The floor of the barn was smooth concrete, and metal shelving units lined the walls, littered with various tools and car parts smeared with grease. There was a hardwood workbench lining the right side wall with a few small tool draws and an old dusty stereo.

Feeling restless and with a need to keep myself busy I approached the workbench, sitting down in a chair and turning the radio on. I pulled a broken alternator towards me and began tinkering with it, relishing the feel of cool metal in my hands. With the car junkyard/graveyard out back behind the property there was no shortage of thinks to work on, whether it be just for fun or reselling the rarer parts for money.

After a short while my body stiffened when the sound of a vehicle alerted me that someone was pulling up into the driveway behind me, but relaxed immediately when I recognized the engine of the Dodge. I paused in my working and listened carefully over the music, then proceeded to turn off the radio and twist around to face the entryway as the sound of footsteps drifted towards me.

The low light radiating from the barn cast the figure out of it's silhouette as my father, Navy Captain Thomas Lennox walked in. He stopped and stood at the threshold of the barn with his hands clasped behind his back, clad in a casual army green t-shirt and dark blue jeans with short brown hair that was starting to grow out from his normal military crew cut.

"Good evening Dad." I greeted politely, cautiously noting his demeanour revealed in his stance was more serious than normal when around me. "Where'd you go so late?"

"I just needed to go into town for a simple errand." I raised an eyebrow a fraction at the unusually vague answer. He continued on without elaborating. "So how was work today?"

"Good. Jesse's irrigation system broke down, so I offered to fix it for him. I actually just got back about an hour ago." I watched carefully as my Dad took a quick glance outside at the now dark horizon, before turning back to me with a concerned look.

"Did you eat anything when you got back?"

"Yes, Dad. Of course." His eyes narrowed with the slightest hint of suspicion, regarding me carefully. In all honesty I hadn't even though about it when I had gone into the house, but with my level of exhaustion there was simply no mustering an appetite. My father probably knew I had lied too, but I wouldn't cave and tell him. He had seemed overly fussy with me lately, and lying was simply the best alternative to not getting lectured. Finally his eyes decided to settle on the engine part closest to me.

"So you've spent all day arms in pumps and metal pipes, and you come home to work some more?" He questioned me with mild bemusement, trying to comprehend the logic behind it.

"What can I say? I like working with cars and keeping busy. You should stop being so surprised by this. Will was never this hard on me about it," I stated matter-of-factly, a faint smile playing on my lips. It quickly morphed into an irritated frown as I recalled something. "Though he did have his rare moments".

"Yeah, I think I recall him jokingly referring to you as his little bro every once in a while. I suppose seeing that you were turning out to be an even bigger 'grease monkey' than he ever would, he saw it as a perfect excuse to tease you about your slew of unfeminine interests on occasion." He looked down at the ground with a slight scowl. "Maybe if you'd had a mother growing up you'd have learned to act more like a lady." I stilled in my seat. I was in truth mildly offended, seeing as I had no interest in acting as more of a 'lady', but that's not what made me uncomfortable the most.

My mother had left the family when I was barely a year old. My brother Will and I had been brought here and left in the care of our grandfather while our father was away on rotation, then she'd disappeared into the night. Our father had gotten information about her whereabouts a few years later only to find that she'd died of an incurable illness. He and Will had both come to the assumption that she had gotten tired of being wife to a husband who rarely ever came home, and that was why she had left. It had hit them both the worst, since I had never been old enough to truly know her. Sometimes that still didn't quell the pain of not getting the chance though. I heaved a sigh and decided to change the subject.

"What was it you came to see me for? You look like you're hiding something." I got straight to the point. My father stood still a moment, eyeing me cautiously before taking his arms out from behind his back and revealing a large beige folder with a very distinct insignia I knew all too well stamped on the front. It was exactly as I had feared. Yet another military recruitment application.

Please not another one of _these_ talks again.

"No." I stated firmly, and admittedly a little bit sharper than intended. I was just so tired of constantly having this argument with him. Did he not know when to give up?

"It would only be for a few years minimum," He quickly went on the defence, raising his hands as if to say, 'don't shoot'. "You'd get to travel and see different parts of the world while you're young and get some honest job experience and better pay than the farm. I'd like to see you go out into the world soon before I have to return to duty. I don't want you living here alone."

"I'm not a child anymore, Dad. I don't need you here to take care of me, I can do that myself. Besides, I already have a job." I pointed out, trying to restrain the exasperated tone that was just itching to make it's way into my voice. "And I'm going to continue doing that job until I have enough money to go to college for mechanical engineering, like I've planned." I turned back towards my workbench so I could hide my face as I rolled my eyes and frowned.

"Well I don't see you going off to college like you've been saying you are."

"I still need to save up a bit more." I tried my hardest to keep my voice and posture relaxed, or else he'd begin to question it. "Besides, the military is too risky. I'd rather not get killed in action before I've even lived my 'young' life." I recited the overused excuse that I knew would never work. To hell with it, in desperate times like this everything was worth a try.

"It's not as awful as you make it out to be. Besides, I have strong ties in the military ranks, and with your brother being promoted to Major I can imagine he does as well." He attempted to reassure me. It wasn't going to work. "I bet we could even get you posted with him so you two could spend some time together. He would look out for you."

"That's not a guarantee." Hadn't Will been put in charge of a top secret military base? I didn't believe for a second that I would be given access to be stationed there just because both of them had ties and could pull a few strings.

"Why are you always being so difficult about this?" I started in surprise as his voice twisted in genuine confusion, and maybe even a bit of hurt? "We are a military family, and you've shown more potential than most soldiers I've encountered in my entire career. Yet every time I try to talk to you about it you shoot it down like there's a nuclear bomb attached to it! Are you ashamed of what our family has done?"

"Let me just ask you this," I turned back to him, keeping my face cool and emotionless as I waited for his gesture to proceed. When he did I spoke out five simple words. "What am I fighting for?"

It was a simple enough question, but my father froze, momentarily stunned. From the looks of it he definitely hadn't been expecting it. It didn't last long though, as he had gathered his resolve back in mere seconds like a good Captain should. To my immediate fright though he also went into what I called 'Military Mode'. His expression because stern and he stood up straighter, tall and proud. Nothing good would come of this, at least not for me.

"For your country."

"Not good enough." I retaliated, my voice coming out just as strong and oddly steely, a very rare thing for me. It alarmed me, and deep down I began to wonder if the reason behind it was that I was finally starting to lose patience with all of this. I felt like a cornered animal, hackles raised in warning.

"What more reason could you need? You should carry pride in your country and see pride in defending it and it's people." He scolded me, as if I was one of his soldiers to give a lecture about patriotism.

"Defend from what? It's not like there's a war on our soils." My voice rose up a pitch higher than normal in incredulity and exasperation.

The oddest look passed across my father's face, just for a second. It immediately caught my uttermost curiosity. Considering my last words carefully, it seemed almost as if he knew something that I didn't...which, given his rank, was entirely possible.

"There's always a need for soldiers." My father continued as if nothing unusual had happened. "There's the issues in the middle east, our mission in Afghanistan. I'm certain the military would have great use for your skill set wherever you decide to go."

I decided to make up another excuse in defence, but one that I also believed to be true.

"There's many more that could easily fill such positions. I'm not needed, and there's hardly anything one person can do, especially me."

My father paused for a moment, scowling at me in frustration and trying to decide his next angle of attack in what I saw as his fruitless attempts to convince me. I grew wary when he suddenly froze all together. I caught his look as something finally clicked while he stared blankly with dawning realization. When he turned his eyes directly back to mine, I felt a sense of foreboding at the entirely too serious and penetrating gaze.

"You're just afraid. Afraid that for the first time in your life you could actually leave this simple life, your safe haven, to go out and face an unknown. I should have seen this far sooner." He chided himself quietly as he began pacing back and forth in the entryway. "You've grown too content and sheltered with where you are and what you have after all these years. I should have never let you stay under my roof for this long!"

As his last words registered a quick flash of burning pain raced through my veins, searing as it went, before something inside me finally snapped. In that instant all that hurt, frustration at him and myself and all the achings of the past turned into rage. All pretence of patience failed. Before I knew what I was doing I'd jumped up abruptly from my seat and got right up in his face.

"I am not afraid!" I shouted defiantly at him, glaring with fire in my eyes at the man who was supposed to have been there for me my whole life, but wasn't. "However I am angry that you would try forcing me with your ideals, your opinions," He tried to cut me off there, but I wasn't done. "And managed to coerce my brother into it and away from me!" My brother, who had gone to join the military as well when I was still so young. "I am outraged that you would choose not to respect my own choices and my own path I want to take in life. But most of all, I am _appalled_ that my own _father_ would want to get rid of me so readily. As if I was nothing to him, as if family meant nothing!" I drew back sharply and paced away as Thomas stood stock still, the pale ghost of shock and hurt threatening to break the edges of his weary mask.

"I didn't mean it like that," He spoke slowly, voice tense and edging on the verge of choked as he battled for control of the situation. He took a deep breath to steady himself before he tried to speak up once again. "I just want what's best for you, and I don't believe that you staying here like this is doing you any -"

"No, I don't want to hear it. It's my responsibility to decide what's best for me, not you." I snarled coldly. "After all those years as a soldier you can't possibly understand that and respect how I feel." My next words felt final, like hammering the last nail into a coffin. "Soldiers are nothing but cold, heartless and detached… Just like you."

I whipped around to face the back of the barn, but too late to avoid witnessing the agony that I had caused as my father's face shattered before he stormed outside and back towards the house, leaving me all alone.

I was trembling violently, the rage like fire in my veins. But as the seconds ticked by the heat died down, leaving me feeling hollow but for a brief moment. Then the consequences of what I'd said set in. The regret set in, and the grief floored me. My eyes pricked with tears, and feeling unnaturally weak I collapsed on my knees to the ground.

In all my life I'd never, ever lost my temper like that. I couldn't remember a single moment where I had spoken something so cruel and unforgiving, or been unnecessarily harsh. Where had all that come from?

I just laid upon my knees for what seemed like an eternity struggling to understand if I even believed in my own words, or if they had just been the product of adrenaline and fury. The intense bout of emotions left me feeling completely drained, helpless and lost, unknowing of what to do next.

My watery eyes drifted back towards the barn opening to the cold darkness, the stars and full moon bringing their own light to the night sky. The chilly evening air rushed in, a refreshing shock to the senses that helped give me the strength to stand back up only to sag back down in the chair beside my workdesk.

 _I can't keep doing this._

The truth presented itself to me without prompt. I saw some honesty in my father's earlier words, but I hadn't been lying when I screamed that I wasn't afraid. Maybe wary, but never afraid, not of that. There were other things at work here, things I'd never talked about with anyone else. But who could I talk to that would understand the dilemmas I was facing. There was no one here who I felt I could open up to, as much as it pained me to think that way. There was no one here that I felt I could confide in. Not anymore.

For the first time in my life I felt the strong desire to run, to go far away from here and to not look back. At this moment it didn't seem like such a bad idea, because one thing I was certain of was that I could not go back in there after what had transpired, had not the courage to face my father. I had to do something, I just couldn't stay here anymore...My time here had obviously come to an end.

As I sat there thinking about where I could possibly go I gave pause to the horrid feeling that something was off. Terribly off. The air felt as if it were trembling, vibrating, and the hairs on my arms stood on end. The barn began to visibly shake as I snapped to my feet in alarm. With my first coherent thought landing on earthquake I made to run outside, in the open and away from anything that could possibly fall and injure me. I didn't trust the old wooden structure of the barn.

A massive shock and subsonic boom resounded across the countryside, so strong it stopped me dead in my tracks and threw me hard against the ground. My ears rang unpleasantly, aching and just barely picking up my own yelp as some minor pieces of timber and dust came loose from the rafters and rained down around me. Coughing as my stomach rolled with nausea, I struggled for my footing and stumbled outside to see what could have possibly caused such an enormous impact.

After a quick, frantic look around I spotted it. About 100 yards behind the barn, in the middle of the field was a ginormous, smouldering crater. Flames licked around the perimeter of the disturbed terrain and a patch of trees that I recalled should have be in that area were gone, completely incinerated by the blast.

 _Okay..._ _W_ _hat are the chances of a meteor landing in my own backyard?,_ I though incredulously as I looked upon the wreckage carefully. It was probably one in a billion or trillion. My curiosity began to get the better of my rational side as I took a few hesitant steps toward the area. The ringing in my ears was starting to tone down a bit, if the sound of crackling fire was anything to go by.

So when strange metallic clinking started emitting from the crater, I froze in my approach and wisely began to backpedal as quickly as possible, seeking cover at the corner of the barn and assuming I would be safe there.

That is until a large imposing figure rose up from the ashes and smoke. My heart and body stood still, paralysed with unadulterated fear as I swallowed thickly, trying desperately not to scream as one simple denial replayed itself a million times over in my mind.

 _It can't be..._

* * *

 **NEST Base Headquarters, Location: Classified**

Sand and gravel crunched softly under black boots as Major William Lennox trod slowly across the desolate island in the early morning light, admiring the tropical vegetation and small critters that lined the path. The shadows under his eyes served as proof of his lack of sleep that night and the stress that came with being commanding officer of the secret base know as Diego Garcia.

As the Major came around a corner of the thin island path to a clearing, he glanced up and analyzed the large grey dish-like structure in the middle that he'd been informed was now operational. It was an advanced communications array that could detect and send signals to and from space, as well as aiding in picking up anomalous signatures along the earth's surface that could be a sign of trouble. It was the first of it's make, systems improved with tech that wasn't even from this planet.

It had been a year since the battle of Mission City, where he'd first met the alien race that was divided into two factions; the Autobots and the Decepticons. It had been the most eventful day of his life, and that was putting it lightly. A lot of lives had been lost, and a large section of the city was still completely out of commission from all the damages. There had been a lot of political and military issues to sort out after it all went down, but now things seemed to finally be looking up for the better.

With NEST created in the aftermath and the Autobots allied beside them, his soldiers were starting to pull things together to help defend the world against the ever present threat of the Decepticons. Among gaining the benefits of having the Autobots by their side to aid them in battle, they had also shared some of their technology with them, ranging for communications to medical advancements.

Anything related to Weapons Tech had been denied by the Autobots of course. Though some part of Will was disappointed by the fact, only desiring better ways to protect the Earth's citizens, he didn't argue against it. He saw the Autobot's side of it and knew what would happen if any alien weapons fell into humankind's hands.

He knew what his own race was capable of. Any advanced weaponry they attained would eventually be used against themselves in the not too distant future. History had more than enough proof in it to support that fact. The world was better off in the end, and after a year they were already showing that NEST could hold their own without it. The smaller things counted, and the new communications and detection systems alone were surely going to benefit all of them a lot in hunting the Decepticons and eliminating them from the planet for good.

With things going well and stabling out after the formation of NEST, Will was finally able to think about going on vacation and seeing his family. He missed his little daughter Annabelle and his wife Sarah something fierce, and a few weeks off could do them all some good. He'd already talked about it with his teammate Epps. With no new recruits coming in for a while and the Decepticon activity at an all time low, he felt comfortable taking a much needed break while Epps and Graham took care of things here.

He also thought about taking extra time to visit his original home in Colorado. Granted, he hadn't seen his wife and daughter for a while, but it had been even longer since the last time he'd seen his father and sister. Between his wedding, being stationed in Quatar for a while and then the formation of NEST his life had been very busy the last few years, and it had grown hard to manage what little time he had off. He looked forward to seeing how they were both doing, and badgering Skylar for never being around to talk on the phone with him like he had with their father on a regular weekly basis.

Will was torn from his train of thought when a vehicle announced it's presence behind him, engine rumbling deeply and tires crunching slowly along the road. Turing around, he spotted a well known large black GMC Topkick coming down the path towards him. The Topkick slowed down to a stop beside him and opened the driver side door invitingly. A gruff male voice rose from the interiors speakers.

"General Morshower has a private video call waiting for you." Ironhide informed his charge. Will frowned quickly in surprise. He hadn't been expecting a call today. Shaking the questions for just a second he took the few steps over to his Guardian and vaulted himself up the side and into the safety of the large cabin. The door closed firmly behind him as Ironhide did a rather skilled U-turn in the tight space and took off back up the island path towards the main part of the base.

"I wasn't expecting a contact from him today. Did the General say what he wanted?" Will questioned, brows scrunching together in confusion. He leaned back into the seat, immediately trying to sort through any and all reasons that the General would need to speak with him. The obvious reason presented itself, but those problems weren't discussed over private video conferences.

"No one said, I'm afraid. Just that he needs to speak with you alone." Ironhide rolled across the tarmac and into the communications hanger, circling around the large central platform to turn down a separate hallway. "Maybe the Pentagon has caught wind of some unusual Decepticon activity?" Ironhide offered lightly, but just by the sounds of his voice, his Guardian knew as well that it wasn't likely. He was most definitely just wishfully thinking some Cons had shown themselves so he could go hunting and using his cannons. The poor mech had been going stir crazy the past few months with so little action to look forward to.

"Attacks are always announced to all of NEST, they are never done privately." Will said absently. If there was Decepticon activity, that's exactly what the JCS would have done. Why the need for secrecy with him? "Maybe it's just some more political crap."

When Ironhide came to a stop in front of one of the smaller meeting rooms Will jumped down from the cabin and headed towards the door. Before he entered the room he turned back towards the Topkick. "In the case that it's anything serious, could you stick close by until I come out?"

"Of course." Ironhide rumbled reassuredly, making a show of chilling out by relaxing his axles and sinking lower on his tires.

"Thanks." Will smiled slightly as he opened to door and stepped into the dimly lit room. There was a small oval table in the centre of the room, and a big flat screen at the other end mounted on the wall. He walked over to stand in front of it, took a deep and accepted the call on the touch screen with a straight and respectful stance. General Morshower's face immediately appeared.

"Good Morning Major Lennox." The General greeted respectfully from his desk at the pentagon.

"Same to you, General Morshower, sir." Will saluted.

"At ease Major." The General requested lightly.

Will relaxed his posture immediatly, deciding to get straight down to business. "With all due respect sir, what is it you needed to speak with me about on such short notice?" Will watched, internally alarmed, as a grave look passed over the Generals face. He'd seen that look upon the face of many men, and felt it on his own. It was the look that signalled some terrible news they wished they didn't have to divulge.

"There's been a Decepticon attack."

Will didn't like the vagueness and hesitance of the General's declaration. He didn't like it at all. An impeding sense of dread washed over him as he stared back at the screen that now had his full attention, shoulders tense and heartbeat racing.

"Where did they hit?" The General stared back, and Will didn't miss the expression of sadness pass over his weary face. "General, where did they hit?" He demanded more firmly, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice against his will. He mentally braced himself for whatever was to come as the General took a deep breath and the words left his mouth.

"Your family in Colorado."

* * *

 _Authors Note: Okay, so first off, I hope anyone who reads this enjoyed the pilot chapter for this story. I don't expect it to be terribly exciting, but I worked extremely hard with several renditions to find what felt like the right beginning, so I hope it paid off. Please let me know if it did._

 _This is my first time posting fanfiction. I did work on a original story once but it's been years since I've touched creative writing outside of mandatory school work. I consider this story my baby, my first step towards getting back into the writing scene. I'm probably quite rusty, and I am definitely struggling with finding the writing style that suits me now, so any constructive criticism on this story would be immensely helpful. Also it would b nice if you guys could point out any mistakes I may have made._

 _I have posted this story sooner than I intended, but I did it in hopes that having the story out there would motivate me to continue on with it at a faster rate than I had been previously. I will say right now that I hate it when stories get abandoned, so I will never abandon this one now that it's begun posting (another plan to increase writing motivation)._

 _Because I posted it sooner than intended updates will likely be slow at first. Good news is I do have at least four other full chapters on standby now and in need of final editing, so it shouldn't be too long till I release one of them. After I write up more chapters the postings will go on a schedule, probably weekly or biweekly on Fridays. I'll let any readers know when._

 _Oh, and sorry for the double cliffhanger :)_

* * *

 ** _Date posted: August 11th, 2015_**


	2. Chapter 2: Ignorance Is Bliss

_Here's another chapter for my lovely readers. This one's a tad longer than the last and jumps POV a bit, but I hope its satisfactory none-the-less. Thank you to all my reviewers, followers and favourites so far. You really helped motivate me to finish editing this chapter so I can release it out to you all. Enjoy!_

* * *

 **~Chapter Two~**

 **Ignorance Is Bliss**

* * *

For the shortest instance of time William Lennox's thoughts raced to his wife and child at the mention of the word family. His chest tightened as an almost unbearable wave of panic threatening to overwhelm him. It came to a brief screeching halt when he registered the fact that Sarah and Annabelle didn't live in Colorado. That confused revelation held the panic at bay for but a beat... Before he realized who the General was referring to, and his chest tightened all over again.

Will stood stock still in stunned silence, feeling the icy tendrils of dread creep it's way across his skin, centring in his gut which twisted and turned with nausea. After what felt like eternity he managed to shake the stupor off, swallowing thickly before he spoke. He hated how weak his voice sounded. "Thomas and Skylar…" He drifting off, unable to directly ask what he needed to, when all he feared was the worst in return.

General Morshower seemed to understand. His eyes flicked down momentarily before meeting Will's gaze directly. The sympathy in his own eyes already said all that was needed. "I'm sorry, Major Lennox. Your father, Captain Thomas Lennox was found and pronounced dead at the remains of the residence."

Will's heart gave a sickening lurch at the General's revelation. He could already feel the dull ache of sorrow setting itself deep within his chest cavity. He wished he could deny that this conversation was even happening, so he didn't have to face the aftermath of yet another loss. It was so surreal he could almost shelter himself from it if he wanted too... Yet he knew he shouldn't. This was all very real and he'd have to face it all, like it or not.

It made it very difficult to keep that frame of mind when he knew deep down that the pain was going to get a whole lot worse. His father had been a good man, a respectable man, and they had been very close. But even Will realized he would likely lose his father someday. Maybe not this soon, but eventually. A parent should never outlive their child.

The same couldn't be said for siblings, at least not in his eyes.

Skylar was too young. Barely even starting her life. Heck, he was the older brother with one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. She should have been outliving him any day...never the other way around.

She was the only other person in the world he felt as protective of as he did his wife and daughter. He wasn't sure if he could keep himself together when the time came to ask, and the truth answered. It was already up.

"And my sister?..." General Morshower's face relaxed a bit much the Major's surprise and confusion, and that threw his mind for a loop. Why did his expression almost appear lighter?

"Fortunately, your young sister Skylar survived the encounter. She was found unconscious in the wreckage of a collapsed structure on the property."

 _...What?_

Will gaped openly at the screen, shocked and speechless as he tried to comprehend what the General had just said.

He'd been so prepared for the worst. It had never crossed his mind that either one of them would survive, because honestly why would he dare to believe it? They had been defenceless and Decepticons were ruthless killing machines, no pun intended. How was it she was still alive? He had no idea how to respond as he simply stared, completely dumbfounded. Finally his mind was able to settle on one thought.

 _To hell with it._

He gave an unrestrained hoot of joy as he spun on the spot once, letting a relieved smile grace his face at the happy surprise.

"Where is she?" He asked eagerly, a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

General Morshower's own smile was brief but genuine as he easily answered the Major's inquiry. "The local NEST base took care of it. She's in stable condition and being cared for in a small facility called Aspen Valley Hospital. Last time I checked on her status she was still unconscious."

Will took what comfort he could in the news. At least she was still alive and in no immediate danger, and he was going to get a plane ready to see her right away. Before he could hurriedly try to excuse himself to make his preparations a thought crossed his mind, jolting him back to the main concern.

He needed answers first. The thought that a Con had gotten to one of his family made him boil with barely concealed rage as he straightened his posture and turned a hard gaze back to the General.

"What happened?"

General Morshower's own expression darkened as he immediately got down to business. "We didn't get an alert on any of our early warning systems, but our men found a rather large impact crater on the property, bigger than any we've encountered so far. We cannot confirm whether it was in fact a Decepticon, however based on the brutality of the attack we can safely assume."

"Any trace of an Energon signature in the area?" Will asked, focusing on the matter at hand with a new found determination. He didn't care how big the new arrival was, or who it was. This Con had attacked his family, either inadvertently or on purpose. He dreaded to think what would happen to Sarah and Annabelle if the attack had been purposeful.

That thought nearly drove him insane on the spot. _They had to find it._ And when they did, he would stop at nothing to destroy it.

"Nothing concrete enough for our Energon detectors to track. Also, any physical traces left behind resulted in a dead end. Whoever the target is, it appears to be very efficient at evasive maneuvers for one of it's size." Will swore internally at the General's report. It always had to be more difficult, didn't it?

"Okay. I'm going to order a cargo plane ready ASAP for a flight to Colorado. I'll be taking a few Autobots with me. They might be able to glean something from the area that our men may have missed. The Autobot's Weapons Specialist happens to be a good tracker. I'm also going to send someone to guard Sarah and Anna in the meantime." Will hoped the General would take the hint. There was nothing more that could be done here for now, and he needed to get prepped for a long journey.

"That's a sound plan." The General agreed with a small nod. "I believe that is all the information we have on the situation at the moment." The General paused, appearing to mull something over before he spoke gently.

"My deepest condolences for the loss of your father. However trying this time may be, I believe this event to be more of a coincidence than a targeted attack on your family." That may be true, but they could never be too sure. It didn't change the direness of the situation. "Still if it brings you peace then I approve of your decision to send guard to your home in the event that I am wrong, at least until more information is found. Just be careful. You're dismissed to make your preparations. Good luck, Major Lennox."

"Thank you, General Morshower, sir." The Major responded gratefully. The screen turned black the next second as the call ended. Will stood in the room for a few extra minutes, leaning and gripping the edge of the table till his knuckles were white. He focused on taking deep breaths and gathering his resolve the best he could before he had to go back out there and inform anyone else.

When Will finally exited the room he was met with the sight of Ironhide in bipedal form, towering over Sargent Robert Epps as they conversed at a respectful distance away from the meeting area, just outside the hanger doors. They both looked over as he approached them.

Will prided himself in having a good poker face, but something in his expression must have tipped Epps off. His African American friend jogged over and met him halfway looking highly concerned.

"Hey man, what's going on?"

Will hesitated for a second, trying to wrap his head around how to best summarize what he had just been told. He settled for simply repeating everything the General had just told him, trying to detach himself the best he could from what he was actually saying as he watched Epps eyes grow wider and more horrified by the second.

Will had just finished speaking when both men nearly jumped out of their skin as a menacing growl rang out right beside. They both looked up at Ironhide, meeting ice cold optics that were churning with fury. The mech looked like he was trying extremely hard to not fly into a murderous rage. Usually he'd be going on an angry rant by now, and the fact that he was saying nothing at all scared Will more than any degree of rage filled words the bot could spew. He only barely managed to tear his eyes away as he felt a hand placed on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry bro." Epps pulled Will into a half-hug, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and squeezing. Smiling slightly, Will mirrored the gesture in thanks before turning back to Ironhide's silently fuming form.

"I need to fly out to Colorado now, and I'm planning on taking a few Autobots with me. One to accompany me with my sister and one to search the house's property for a Decepticon trace. Think you can track him down Hide?"

Ironhide snorted. "That Decepticon punk will be torn limb from limb and melted into slag before he can reach the state border." He snarled out. The mech's optics took on a distant gaze for a moment before focusing back on Will. "I've informed Ratchet on the situation and he has agreed to accompany you while I search the crash site."

Will immediately thought it a little strange that Ironhide went straight to the CMO of the Autobots for help in what would be a simple transport and protection issue, but he decided not to dwell on it for now.

"I also need someone to go over to the house to guard Sarah and Annabelle." Will told them, drifted off in thought of who to assign before Epps stepped back in.

"Don't worry Lennox. I'm all over that. I'll get something arranged ASAP."

"Good." Will clapped his hands together, anxious to get a move on, as there were a few things he needed to sort out as commanding officer on base before leaving. "Now I just need to order a carrier to be prepped, fill out some paperwork for-"

Epps cut him off before he could go on a tangent. "Dude, Optimus and I'll take care of everything over here. The only thing you need to worry about right now is packing a bag."

"But-" Will tried to object.

Epps would have none of it. "It's okay. I got this." The man stared him down stubbornly.

Will sighed but relented. "Thanks, Epps."

"No problem. Meet me on the tarmac when you're ready to go. I'll go get that plane prepped." With that Epps jogged off across the asphalt heading towards the airstrip. Will looked back over at his Guardian to the hissing and clicking of gears as he shifted back down into his alt form with driver's side door ajar, silently offering a ride over to the human barracks. Will jumped in and they headed off to the left side of the island.

"I am sorry for the loss of your creator." Ironhide rumbled softly, breaking the silence. Will glanced down at the dashboard.

"Thank you, Ironhide." He responded gently. Ever since the mech had been instated as protector of the Lennox family he'd proven to have a lot more underneath his gruff exterior then he was lead to believe at first. Now he knew the bot genuinely cared, and he'd meant what he said. Will felt sorry for the mech with the knowledge that his Guardian protocols were likely going haywire with this latest attack.

It was then that Will realized specifically why the bot had gone to Ratchet for aid. He wanted the medic there to insure nothing was wrong with his sister, and that she'd be in the best possible care. Ratchet may be an alien doctor to an advanced metal race, but he had proven to be a miracle worker with both species, incredibly intelligent and true to his position.

He hadn't considered till now that maybe Ironhide's protectiveness extended to anyone closely related to Will by blood or heart, even if he hadn't met them yet. He had a feeling the bot was going to be on edge the entire trip until he finally got to blast that Con bastard with his cannons.

When Ironhide reached the barracks Will darted into his officer's quarters and pulled out a duffel bag, ram-packing it with as many clothes and basic supplies as he could, tossing in a few power bars as an afterthought. He didn't know how long he would be away, but he needed to be prepared. When he had everything he needed he darted back out to Ironhide and they headed over to the airstrip were a small cargo plane was getting warmed up and fuelled with Epps helping out the pilots.

The two men proceeded to strap Ironhide's alt mode securely inside the cargo hold, and no sooner had they finished that the Autobot's Medical Officer Ratchet drove up the ramp in his alt mode, settling in the spot adjacent to Ironhide without a word. They'd just finished strapping the yellow Search and Rescue Hummer in when the pilot walked over and announced the plane was ready to leave.

Epps turned to Will and gave him a brief clap on the shoulder and a 'good luck'. His friend exited the plane with a final salute as the cargo door closed. Will wandered over to one of the benches lining the wall and sat down, belting himself in for the long flight.

"Major?" Ratchet called out. Will looked up from his seat. "I hacked into the patient records at Aspen Valley Hospital. Your sister's condition remains unchanged, still unconscious."

"Thanks Ratchet. Let me know if anything changes." Will leaned his head against the metal fuselage behind him and tried to relax. The plane rose from the tarmac, the change in air pressure causing his ears to ache and pop as they quickly gained altitude and speed.

The two Autobots remained silent over the course of the next several hours, and for that Will was immensely grateful. It gave him time to sort through his thoughts and emotions. All the stuff he'd normally have to worry about was taken care of. The General and the local NEST base had probably already formulated a cover story for the attack. That left him with only his own issues to deal with.

The first thing that came to his mind was his father. He was going to have to plan the funeral for him. Will felt his heart clench in a vice-like grip, grief and sorrow caging it in harder the longer he though about it, but now he had to learn to come to terms with this.

He was never going to see his father again. Would never get the chance to talk to him one last time. He realized only now in hindsight how little he'd actually seen him, and he regretted that dearly. But with the way both their careers and lives were, that's just how it went.

They were always soldiers first. Their duties came before their family, and that was one of the things Will hated most about his job. Don't get him wrong, there were many things he did like about his job. Being a leader, guiding his team through difficult situations and leading them out safely, serving to protect innocent lives were the biggest reasons to him. But he'd always feel the lingering pain of all those missed moments and opportunities that followed him wherever he went, a silent reminder of the cost he had to pay for his duty.

The next thing that came to mind was his sister, and he truthfully didn't know what to expect when he got there. He hadn't seen her in person in about three years, since the day of his and Sarah's wedding. He was pretty sure that she would be traumatized by the events if she had happened to see something during the attack, which he now realized was a very good chance. He didn't know how she was going to handle that knowledge, or their father's death. She might have even witnessed him being killed, which was even worse to think about. The chances of lingering emotional trauma were steadily rising.

Will decided that he'd have to figure it all out as the cards were dealt. He'd start by finding out what she'd known or seen, and then figure out a way to keep her safe and as far away from all this Cybertronian stuff as possible. He didn't want her anywhere near or involved in this war if he could help it.

After several anxious hours Will felt the plane descend as the pilot finally announced their imminent arrival. A bone-jarring jolt marked their touch down as the landing gear settled heavily on the tarmac of a small military base in Colorado, owned by NEST of course. When the plane came to a complete stop the bay doors opened and the pilot came back from the cockpit to help him release the tie-straps from the undercarriage of the Autobots.

"Major, if you would hop in my cabin please." Ratchet's passenger side door popped open. "I will be heading straight to the hospital while Ironhide will split off to head to the impact site." Will nodded and stepped up the side of the yellow hummer before turning back to look at his Guardian.

"Be careful when you get there, alright?" Will warned in concern for his fellow comrade and friend. He was a seasoned veteran, but he could be a bit reckless and trigger happy on his own.

Ironhide scoffed. "Ain't a single Con that's gonna touch me."

Will chuckled as he settled down in Ratchets passenger seat, duffel bag at his feet. Both vehicles sped off down the ramp, through the base gates that had already been opened for them and onto the open road.

It was almost a two hour drive from the base to the hospital by Ratchet's calculation, so Will used the time to marvel out the windows of the Hummer at the beautiful greenery and rolling hills of the countryside. About an hour into the drive he glanced in the review mirror to see Ironhide break off from them, turning down a different road that that would eventually lead to his family's old home, or rather what was left for it. He was curious about the damages, but decided better of it. He'd have to wait till later, as the horrible twisting in his stomach signalled he wasn't ready to see that yet.

Within the next hour Aspen Valley Hospital came into view, and Ratchet pulled up around the many concrete curbs to a small parking lot just outside the front entrance. The Hospital was small by city standards, only a few floors total. It still held a professional air, if a bit fancy architecturally speaking. The building was defined by neat reddish bricks and large one-way glass windows dominating each floor and predominately around the entrance way. There was a spectacular view of a small mountain range coated with greenery that towered beyond the far side of the institute.

Will was interrupted from his thorough inspection as a small static burst sounded in the cabin. He flinched and swore in surprise as a figure suddenly appeared in the driver's seat next to him.

"Jesus! A little warning next time?" Will complained, scowling at Ratchet's holoform. It was a human representation of himself that the Autobots recently began using to help blend in better. They'd deemed it more useful for dealing with certain human situations their true forms could not, but Will was still trying to get used to it.

"Sorry." The subtle gleam in Ratchet's neon blue eyes begged to differ. He wasn't sorry in the least.

Will jumped down from the cabin and started strolling up to the hospital entrance. "I'm never gonna get used to that." He mumbled as he opened one of the glass doors and walked inside, Ratchet's holoform following closely behind.

Ratchet didn't even bother with the front desk, just strolled in like he owned the place. He quickly turned left down the hallway, past a slightly baffled receptionist. Will following his lead without question, smirking faintly.

Ratchet slowed his brisk walk as they approached room number seven. The door opened and out walked a middle aged doctor with brownish-grey hair and thin framed glasses. The doctor looked up as Ratchet took a stance by the door, Will coming up next to him.

"Hello. Can I help you two gentlemen with anything?"

"Yes, I'm Major William Lennox. This is my friend and medic Ratchet." The doctor's eyes quickly flashed with recognition at Will's name, shaking both their hands and introducing himself as Doctor Andrew Hilson. "I'm sure your aware I'm here to see Skylar Lennox." He hesitated, crossing his arms nervously. "How is she?"

Doctor Hilson brows furrowing in concentration. "Generally speaking, she's alright. She was very lucky. Our tests show she has a minor concussion from a blunt force blow, and some bruised ribs at worst. But other than that it's just a few minor cuts and lots of bruising. The car that was parked in the broken remains of the barn she was found in actually saved her from worse injury or even death. If the frame hadn't been there to support most of the fallen timbers around her unconscious body things could have been a lot worse."

"So what seems to be the problem?" Ratchet piped in, noticing the doctor's concern.

"Well she still hasn't woken up. We haven't tried any procedures to rouse her up yet, but we'll have to start considering some options soon. " The doctor stated bluntly.

Will was confused. It had been hours since the attack. Why hadn't she been awake at least once so far?. "Is there something wrong with her? You did say she had a concussion..."

"I don't believe that's the cause. Her concussion was far too minor to cause anything other than a headache or some trouble concentrating, and all her vitals are normal. " Doctor Hilson reassured. "There's no physical reason that she is still under. My guess is that she is simply not ready to wake up yet. We've seen these types of things happen before after traumatic accidents."

Will heaved a sigh and dragged a palm over his face. The fact that she was still out was nerve-wracking and he didn't like it, but he supposed maybe the doctor was right. Even though he didn't know the full extent of what happened, the doctor had hit the mark more than he was aware of.

"May I see her?" He asked.

"Of course. Maybe your presence will help." Doctor Hilson nodded curtly and stepped aside. Will reached for the doorknob, hesitating to give Ratchet a backwards glance. The medic just gestured for him to go ahead, probably wanting to talk to the doctor. With that Will turned the knob and entered the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Turning around Will took a moment to take in the large plain room before focusing on the single bed against the right wall, and the person that lay upon it. He walked slowly to the side of the bed, pulling up a chair so he could sit down and fold his arms against the rails of the bed as he looked over his sister.

Skylar had changed a bit since he'd last seen her. She'd lost the rest of her babyish features, and the sharp defined cheekbones of her face proved it. Her hair was longer now, resting against her body in long golden brown locks thickly waved past her shoulders. Her skin was lightly tanned like his own. Neither of them seemed to tan very much under constant sun, a trait they both seemed to share with their mother.

She'd grown a bit taller as well, a fair height for a woman. She'd probably stand just past his shoulders next to him. Her arms, which lay outside the bed sheets, were well toned and strong. Undoubtedly not just a product of the farm work she'd been doing but the automotive work as well. He knew she loved working in her makeshift workshop daily and it required a certain level of physical strength. However, he realized that there was something slightly off as he continued scanning over her carefully.

She looked worn and a little too thin. The skin of her hands and knuckles was taut. Her cheeks were sunken in just the slightest bit, as well as a slight hollowed darkness residing under her eyes. It wasn't obvious, but if anyone looked close enough they could see it. He hoped it was just a side effect of her current state of circumstance and the temporary method for administering nutrients. There was an IV in her arm, the liquid mixture dripping in at a very slow, lulling rhythm.

 _Well, she'll be thrilled about that when she wakes up_ , he thought sarcastically. She absolutely hated needles, and would surely throw a fit as soon as she woke up and noticed the 'horrifying' instrument imbedded in her right arm.

The last thing that he noted as he took one of her hands in his carefully was the bruising Doctor Hilson had warned him about. They littered her skin in randomly strewn blotches of purple discolouration, which he could see thanks to the short sleeved blue scrubs they'd redressed her in. There was a large bruise that seemed to have spread around her collarbone, and smaller ones around the backs of her arms where stray timbers must have pelted her. They were probably all over her back as well, though he couldn't see for sure. She must have fallen on her front as the debris collapsed around her, which made the massive bruising on her collar that much more interesting. How had she gotten that one then?

"Skylar," Will spoke softly, unsure whether this would do anything but willing to try. She needed to wake up, and he was hoping maybe his just being here would speed things along. "It's your big brother Will." He squeezed her hand gently, watching her face for any sign of acknowledgement. "Don't you think you've napped enough, kiddo?" He scoffed lightly to himself when there was no response. He felt a little bit silly, like he was just talking to himself here.

Will turned his head to the side at the faint sounds of conversation on the opposite side of the door. Ratchet was probably just quizzing the doctor on any and everything they'd done for Skylar so far. His thoughts jumped from that train of thought to Ironhide, and he briefly wondered if he'd arrived at the house yet. Glancing down at his watch, he guessed that Ironhide would be there soon if he wasn't already. The bot was supposed to call him the moment he found anything useful.

When he looked back to his sister his heart jumped. Skylar's eyes were partway open, the vibrant colour of her deep sky blue irises peeking behind thick, rapidly fluttering eyelashes. They remained lazy and disoriented for a few seconds before she squeezed them shut and pained groan.

"Ratchet!" He hissed low, knowing the Autobot medic would hear him as he tried to patiently wait for Skylar to regain coherency.

* * *

When I came to I really wish I hadn't. My head throbbed horribly, and my mouth felt like sandpaper. I knew my limbs would be sore even before I tried to shift them. The dull light of the room still managed to strain my half opened eyes as a low groan escaped my mouth before I could catch myself. My eyes opened slower this time, only to be greeted with the sight of overbearingly white walls and a matching ceiling.

 _Where the hell am I?_ I thought groggily, but my mind was too slow and stubborn to bother working it out just now. I lay still for a moment, letting my awareness settle back and my senses adjust.

It was about that time I recognized the warm pressure surrounding my left hand as something squeezed it. My body tensed defensively as my head snapped around to face the offender, wincing as another sharp pain laced through it. I froze when my eyes met with the familiar face of the last person I had ever expected to see.

"Will?" I stared wide eyed and stunned as my older brother cracked a wide, playful grin.

"Hey there, kiddo." He spoke softly, his voice heavy with relief. "How are you feeling?" There was definitely a trace of humour and mischief in that seemingly innocent question.

 _I have a feeling you know full well_ , I silently accused, glaring at him mildly. "Like absolute hell. I feel like I got battered and beaten with a 2x4 or a crowbar or something." Will gave a strained chuckle at my analogy. "Of course I know that didn't actually happen, that would be silly."

When I tried shifting, the aching in my bones flared up again. I also began to realize breathing was a bit more difficult than normal, and my midsection felt too hot like it was inflamed. Glancing down, I noticed for the first time the light blue hospital attire I had been clothed in which appeared to be doctor's scrubs. Something serious must had happened, but my mind could think up nothing relevant through the thick haze that clouded it.

I looked up at Will in shock. "What happened to me? Where are we?"

Will's eyes became guarded as he watched me carefully. What he was searching for, I didn't know. I staring back expectantly.

"You're at Aspen Valley Hospital." I looked out the window to the right to see rolling green hills and small mountains. Still in Colorado at least. "You were brought here after someone found you in the collapsed remains of your makeshift garage." He paused as I took a moment to process this new information. He must have waited a full minute for some kind of response from me, but when I didn't respond much he grew concerned.

"Don't you remember anything?"

I tried again to dig through my mind for any memory of the events he'd described, but the pain was not helping my cause. "I'm sorry, but honestly I can't remember a thing past this incessant throbbing in my head." I reached up with my right hand to tentatively touch the back of my head where the pain seemed to be originating from when I felt an unpleasant tugging at the skin of my forearm. I looked down in confused annoyance, stopping dead as my eyes widened in pure horror.

"Sky," Will warned slowly. "I know that look. It's just an IV, it's not there to harm you."

This reassurance thing totally wasn't working.

"I don't care if it's an IV." I ground out slowly, voice strained as I attempted to keep my cool and not snap at him inadvertently. "It's a needle, its piercing my skin, and I want it out. _Now_." I saw Will glance behind him in my peripheral, and I became aware of two unknown men standing by the doorway of the room. The one in the white coat walked briskly around the foot of the bed to stand by my right side.

"I suppose you don't need this anymore, seeing as you'll be able to eat and drink on your own now. Hold still please." The unnamed doctor spoke gently as he touched my arm.

"Not a problem." I grumbled, whining uncomfortably in my throat and cringing as the doctor slowly pulled the lead of the IV out. He took the tape off to reveal a bleeding welt in my skin which he quickly swabbed with a disinfectant and bandaged while I sulked.

"Baby." I heard my brother mumble on my other side. I trained a glare his way, being careful not to whip my head around this time. He stared back with fake innocence, but his wide brown eyes were shining with obvious amusement. I turned around back to the other side, intent on just ignoring him from now on.

"Thank you very much, Doctor…" I trailed off questioningly.

"Andrew Hilson." He supplied with a kind smile. "And you're most welcome, Miss Lennox. Just so you know, you have no major injuries, just a slight concussion and a few bruised ribs. Take it easy and you should be walking around just fine in a day or two. Would you like some pain killers for the soreness?"

"Yes, please. Nothing too strong though." As Doctor Hilson walked over to a medicine cabinet I turned my attention to the other man at the door. He looked to be in about his early fourty's. He was slightly shorter than my brother, with a solid healthy build. He had short tidy hair that was mostly a dark brown with specks of grey strewn throughout. His eyes were a startling shade of blue that almost verged on glowing neon. The unknown man walked up to stand beside Will when he noticed my stare. "Friend of yours?" I asked my brother.

"Yes. He's a medic for my base's unit." The man in question offered his hand to me in a firm but gentle handshake.

"Call me Ratchet." The man said calmly. What an unusual name for someone to have. Maybe it was just a military nickname? "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Lennox, and a relief to see you well and mostly healthy. Major Lennox was very concerned about you."

"How far did you guys have to travel to get here?" I asked them both as Doctor Hilson handed me a capsule and glass of water, promptly slipped quietly out of the room to give us some space. I downed it quickly.

"Several hours. You've been out for nearly half a day. I literally just got here before you woke up." Will answered. He was doing that same odd staring from earlier, like he was still searching for something. I brushed it off as just paranoid concern.

"That's quite a long flight. Where the hell are you stationed?"

"Somewhere in the ocean. It's classified." Will stated swiftly.

"You must have made it up to the big ranks if you can't even give me which ocean." I laughed at his vagueness. I was trying to make conversation and learn a bit more about his current situation, but he wasn't giving me much. It had been a long time since we'd last seen each other, and I hadn't been great at keeping tabs on his current military status. It had been so long that it made me a bit uncomfortable seeing him so unexpectedly, though it still delighted me at the same time.

"Something like that." He smiled slightly. I felt my curiosity perk at the hidden implication in his voice, but my digging would have to wait. As I glanced around the room again I realized there were more important questions that needed to be asked first.

"So why exactly did the barn collapse on me? It's condition wasn't _that_ bad...And where's Dad? Why isn't he here?" Will tensed, that same guarded look from earlier crossing his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but words seemed to fall short. The look in his eyes is what really worried me though. If you looked hard enough you could just barely see it, hiding beneath the surface.

The pain.

Before he had a chance to explain anything his cell went off. He glanced at it with a slight frown before it smoothed out, replaced with realization and unmistakable relief.

"I got to take this call. Ratchet, can you watch over Sky for a few minutes?"

"I don't need babysitting." I mumbled absentmindedly. It was meant to be beyond anyone's hearing, but the medic glanced over at me with a small glimmer of amusement none-the-less.

As the door closed I brought a hand to my face, taking a deep breath. "Why do I get the feeling there's something very important I'm missing?" I said to no one in particular. I caught Ratchet's wary expression, and narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him.

"You're both doing it." I accused him. "You're both walking eggshells around me. Why?"

Ratchet sighed and kneeled next to the bed, staring at me with a degree of sympathy that a part of me hated for some reason.

"Do you not remember anything at all?" He asked gently. I really was trying hard, but the ache in my head was still interfering with my ability to do so, acting as a thick fog obscuring any trace of recent memory I tried to reach for.

"No," I said hesitantly. "I'm having a hard time concentrating on most things except here and now. I can't recall anything from the past day or two I think. Can't you just fill me in on what I'm missing?"

"I'm afraid that's something better left for your brother to explain." I wanted and wished I was just imagining the look of pity on his face, the weary sadness in his deep voice. The way everyone was acting around me was quickly slipping me into a state of anxiety as my heart started to race. Why weren't they answering my questions? I'd thought that they would be simple enough. What was I missing that was so damn important?

Suddenly Ratchet was looking towards the door with an irritated scowl. He stool up fluidly from his crouch, and walked toward the door. "Stay put, I'll be back in a few minutes." He called over his shoulder, shutting the door behind me and leaving me effectively alone in the room again and befuddled at his sudden departure.

 _Where would I go?_ , I though sarcastically, sinking back heavily into the soft mattress of the hospital bed and trying my best to calm my racing heart.

* * *

Ironhide continually grumbled to himself as he travelled quickly down the quiet country road. Rocks and gravel pinged annoyingly off his thick black armour, wedging themselves into places in his undercarriage they really shouldn't be. Normally trivial things wouldn't usually annoy him this much, but the way this day was going was serving to accelerate his already wire thin temper.

He couldn't believe he had let this happen. They should have detected that Decepticon's signal, but because they didn't someone important to his charge had been killed, another put in danger's way. He felt like he'd failed his duty as a Guardian.

Sometimes he cursed his role as a Guardian for making him act what would be considered highly overprotective, but he couldn't help the part of his programming that wished he could move the rest of the Lennox's somewhere he could keep a better optic on them all. The island seemed like a very good idea at the moment, but the Major would never go for it.

It didn't escape his notice that this could have easily happened to Sarah and Annabelle. He'd heard all about the Major's family through normal conversations. Though they didn't really see each other much, he could tell that Will cared for his mech creator and sibling very much. He may have seemed relatively calm when he came out of that meeting room, but his high heart rate gave him away.

He really hoped the sister would be alright. It was too late for the creator, but he could make himself feel better by ripping that Con's spark out, blasting it with his cannons while the Con watched helplessly, then blasting his helm off for safe measure.

The coordinates for his destination pinged on his HUD, and Ironhide saw the proof with his own optics. The whole front of the area was taped off, but he easily drove through the yellow plastic and slowed down to a crawl on the property. To the left was a half charred heap of burned organic materials and plastics that looked to be what was left of the main housing unit. A few ruptured metal tanks sat to the right of the pile, tops blown clean off, curled and blackened. Ironhide's sensors picked of traces of a flammable fluid around it that was likely the cause of the blaze. Propane, if his understanding of the different oils humans used for heating was correct.

Another heap sat further to the right, this one a lot more recognizable as it had escaped the wrath of the blaze. Large wooden boards had been sifted and dug aside from the main pile, where an old vehicle was barely peeking out of the mess. It was in a sorry state. Crushed and twisted metal, some of which looked distinctly like claw gouges, shattered glass, dents and holes throughout different areas of it's chassis from front to bumper. As far as Ironhide was concerned it was nothing but scrap metal now, destined for the junkyard.

Ironhide moved on, continuing slowly past the large heap towards the impact crater in the middle of the field and immediately picking up the faint traces of the Energon trail. The Con had headed towards the house almost immediately upon arrival, indicated by the weaker trail and physical tracks, then circled around to travel further into the fields of the properly where the trail was distinctly fresher. Ironhide took off after it, following the signature and visible tracks closely. His tires easily held traction as his alt bounded over dirt hills driving further and further in.

He became concerned as the signature grew weaker, foggy and confused like it was being diluted by something. The ground held more moisture here than the land farther back, and the pede tracks were no longer visible. His form started to have traction issues as the ground got muddier, tires spinning for purchase. Right before he started thinking it might be a good idea to transform and follow in bipedal mode his black form burst through a patch of thick tall brush. The second he caught sight of what was hidden on the other side he screeched to an abrupt halt.

 _I'm not_ _following_ _that._ He let loose a growl of frustration in this desolate place as he looked over the reason for his need to stop. The grey stormy clouds overhead only proved that what he had come out here for was a lost cause. Ironhide send a call to the Major's secure cell phone. After 15 seconds of fuming impatiently the other end finally answered.

"What did you find, buddy?" Lennox spoke clearly but quietly. He was in a hospital, right, so he didn't want their conversation to be overheard.

"I don't think we are going to be finding that slaggin' Con anytime soon." Ironhide admitted reluctantly. Oh, how he hated admitting defeat. Especially with a vendetta like this.

"What? Why?" Lennox's voice rose in outrage and confusion.

"Apparently this Con isn't as adverse to water as the rest of us are." He mused dryly as he continued to stare at the loathsome body of water and cursing it internally to the Pits.

"Why should that be a problem?" Lennox asked slowly, less angry but still confused. Ironhide's explanation was going to be some new to him, and it was something he probably should have notified NEST of sooner.

"I've run across a rather large body of water you humans refer to as a lake. The Con jumped into this lake and waded to the other side. Normally I would scour the entire perimeter to find out where the Con surfaced, but I can't read Energon signatures through water. It dilutes and disperses it, weakening the trace significantly." He gave a loathsome growl. "On top of that the trail is receding quickly, and it appears a heavy rain passed through this area recently. It's diluting the Decepticon signature even more and his pede tracks have already disappeared through the saturated ground at the banks."

There was a long silence on the other end that was eventually interrupted by Lennox's cursing. "Okay Ironhide, return to the hospital. We'll just have to keep a sharp eye for any sightings and wait for that bastard to show himself again. A Con that big shouldn't be too hard to miss."

Ironhide chose to withhold his comment that a Decepticon that size could still manage to be very obscure if he wanted to. He'd also somewhat deciphered the signature to figure out exactly _who_ it was, and if he was right this would be far more difficult than they anticipated. No need to aggravate the Major further when he had enough to deal with already.

"How is Skylar?" Ironhide asked in a gentler, curious tone.

"She's awake now. She's going to be sore for a while, but considering the circumstances that's a blessing. She doesn't remember what happened though. Not sure if it's temporary or not."

"In that cause, are you going to tell her?" No response. It didn't take much for him to correctly interpret the reason for his charge's silence. "You have to tell her sometime soon."

"Yeah I know, I know." Lennox agreed begrudgingly. "It's just so hard. I never thought I'd have to be the one to break news like this to her. It's even worse seeing the confusion in her eyes and knowing it's only going to get a whole lot worse." On the other side of the line he picked up the distinct sound of a door closing and Ratchet, unsurprisingly, scolding the Major.

"You need to tell her, and you need to do it immediately. Her heart rate is increasing, and she's starting to edge into a state of anxiety because of our evasion. It's better for her both physically and mentally if we get it out of the way here and now."

"Okay, I'll do it. But please... This is going to be hard enough as it stands." Lennox pleaded, static raising over the comm. link as he sighed.

Ironhide felt something was wrong the moment an unnatural silence fell over the line, as if intakes were being held. The silence was broke a beat later by Ratchet's urgent tone. "Lennox!" He heard Lennox swear loudly as quick footsteps drifted away to the sound of a door swinging open harshly.

"I need to go, I'll talk to you later." Lennox said hurriedly before the call was disconnected, leaving Ironhide wondering what the frag had just happened.

* * *

Resting back against the bed I sighed with a small degree of relief, feeling the haze of the head injury gradually lifting as well as the pain of my other injuries. Doctor Hilson's and my version of 'nothing too strong' must differ slightly for the medication to have taken effect so quickly.

I was still shocked that Will was actually here. He had to miss special occasions, birthdays, and holidays with us as well as back home with Sarah and his baby daughter. It was all in the name of his military career, which demanded he be away for months and sometimes years at a time. So why, after all this time, would he put in such effort to see me now? I'd explicitly told him not to. Even though I'd apparently been caught in what could have been a potentially fatal accident, which I still had yet to remember, it couldn't have been that bad. I was obviously alive and barely even injured enough for anyone to be so concerned.

Okay, maybe family was just like that by default. I still couldn't get over the awful sensation that there was something huge that I was missing. Something important I should never be overlooking.

I closed my eyes gently and focused on breathing in evenly. If I could just relax maybe it would come to me naturally. As I dug deeper into my mind small fragments came back to me. I remembered a normal day working at Jesse's farm, then getting into my car and driving home later than usual. Another fragment of memory came to me where I was tinkering with a random engine part, not unusual of me. But what had happened past that point?...

It hit me with the brutal force of a freight train. Flashes of fire and impossible things danced behind my eyelids in a dizzying array of colour and chaos. There was fear... despair... and then a bloodcurdling scream as my world was painted in red.

My eyes flashed open as an intense wave of nausea hit. I vaulted out of bed in a blur, stumbling with clumsy urgency to the bathroom. I collapsed against the toilet, retching what little my stomach contained in a frenzied and dishevelled mess. My heart hammered inside my chest a million miles a minute as if it were trying to crash its way through my ribcage.

It wasn't until I felt hands on me and the muted sounds of alarmed voices I couldn't decipher that I realized I was trembling, sobbing and wailing uncontrollably. I couldn't have cared less.

I had no idea where the phrase 'ignorance is bliss' came from, but for this instant in time whoever had said it… had been one thousand times too right.

* * *

 _Okay, so this chapter was a little longer than I would have liked, but I'm glad from my reviews that someone thinks they are about an appropriate size. I know it might be a bit slow right now, but this is just the beginning. As a note, the start of the story is going to focus on a Hurt/Comfort theme for a while, but you'll find it will cover a lot of different genre categories as time goes on. Also, the chapters won't bounce POV as much at about the fifth or sixth chapter, they'll focus more on the main OC._

 _Updates won't always be as fast as this one was (after all I am writing massive chapters, still unsure about whether or not that's a good thing yet) so I wouldn't expect any more chapters out for at least another week. I'll try to push chapter three out for next Friday._

 _As always, any constructive criticism is welcome. Review and let me know your thoughts so far, or where I can improve. It would be greatly appreciated!_

* * *

 ** _Date posted: August 15th, 2015_**


	3. Chapter 3: Like A Nightmare

_Here's the third chapter everyone. Sorry it's a day late, I had a dispute with myself on how to divide up the scenes for the next two to three chapters. This update is a lot shorter than the others, about half the size, so consider it a sort of filler chapter. I felt the scenes were necessary to check in on the characters current emotional status following Skylar's meltdown before moving onto bigger stuff. Next chapter will likely be larger, so don't worry for those who love my long chapters. Also, since this update was shorter, I won't say when, but I do plan on updating sometime before Friday._

 _I'm going to answer some reviewers questions at the end of the chapter, so check the bottom when you're done if you had something you wanted to know! Enjoy!_

* * *

 **~Chapter Three~**

 **Like A Nightmare**

* * *

Will collapsed into an armchair in the corner of the room, both mentally and emotionally exhausted beyond belief. He'd just gotten off his cell, and a quick glance at the clock on the wall confirmed he had been on it for hours. Night had fallen as he looked out the window behind him.

The next week or so was going to be very busy, and none of it was going to be easy for him or Skylar. He looked over to her bed, where she was shifting restlessly in her sleep. Her face contorted in distress every so often. He felt bad for her, but there was nothing he could do about that.

Apparently a single moment alone was all it took for memories of that tragic day to come rushing back. The disturbance they'd heard from down the hall as well as Ratchet's own alert state had been all the hint he'd needed. Ratchet and him had come rushing back into the hospital room to find her on the bathroom floor retching and sobbing uncontrollably. Doctor Hilson and Ratchet had both made the call to sedate her when it became clear she wasn't going to calm down anytime soon. She couldn't even breathe right in her distraught state.

She hadn't woken back up since then, even though the medicine had worn off by now. He didn't expect her to anytime soon as he watched her twitch in her sleep, her face clammy with sweat and dreaming about things even he probably wouldn't want to see.

The poor girl couldn't escape this nightmare, awake or asleep.

 _Maybe tomorrow… it'll get better…_ Will hoped for the both of them. His gaze shifted breifly to the door as Ratchet's holoform walked in quietly. He crossed the room to Will's side and leaned his back against the window as he took to carefully observing the young woman as well.

"Skylar should be able to leave the hospital in another day or two. They want to keep her on observation a bit longer." Ratchet reported.

Will internally agreed with that decision. After her earlier meltdown, Skylar needed a few days of good rest.

Ratchet turned to face Will, his neon blue eyes tinted with a hint of curiosity. "Have you decided what to do with her once we are ready to leave this town?"

"She'll be coming back home to live with me and Sarah. She's got no place else to go. I wouldn't want her to stay anywhere else after all this anyways. and I wouldn't have it any other way if she did. But..." Will rubbed his face tiredly. "Unfortunately I'll still have to question her about what she saw that night. Having her know about the Decepticons might complicate things."

"We could simply take her back to base with us."

Will snapped his head around so fast he almost gave himself whiplash, then took to staring at the Autobot CMO as if he were insane. "Absolutely not."

Ratchet blinked at the force and negativity behind the Major's reaction. "Why not? It would allow us to better oversee her recovery and treat any trauma from the incident. If she already knows about us-"

"She doesn't want anything to do with the military." He cut in firmly. Maybe she had wanted to once… but that day had long since past. He himself didn't feel the least bit comfortable with keeping her at the military base, and for good reason. "Plus, if she comes to base and sees you guys, after her latest encounter she'll freak out. It's too soon."

"I understand Lennox, and I respect those reasons." Ratchet assured him calmly. "But there are other reasons besides those that I'm concerned about. One of them being that she may have already put herself into the Decepticons sights unintentionally if they were to ever find out her connection with you."

Will signed. "Anything else?" He said, resting his chin against his palm.

Ratchet hummed thoughtfully. "I just have a feeling we should be keeping a close eye on her... Have you noticed what I have?"

"What have you noticed?"

"The hollowness under her eyes, the thinness to her cheeks?"

Will's eyes darted to the holoform in concern. When he had noticed those exact same things earlier he'd thought it had been a side effect of the accident. Now with Ratchet showing interest in these little details he was sure otherwise. "Yes. You think there's another cause for that, don't you?"

Ratchet nodded his head slowly. "To put it simply, she's exhausted. My scanner's are showing her body's been under stress for a prolonged period of time. She doesn't appear to have been eating properly either for her level of activity, if she's been doing the type of work you informed me of. I don't want her current grief to accelerate any of these bad habits. I don't suppose you have any explanation of what would cause her to take poor care of herself?"

Will almost didn't know what to say, but then he recalled a certain phone conversation with his father a little while back that started making more sense now. In hindsight maybe he should have read more into it.

"About a month ago I was talking on the phone with my father, and I had asked how she was doing. He told me she'd been working very hard the past little while... It was the way he said it that bothered me, but when I asked him about it he told me not to worry. I guess now that was a lie." He hung his head when thinking about his father only reminded him of his original plans.

"Lennox?" Ratchet inquired, taking note of his changed demenor.

"I should have gone to visit them sooner. I'd actually been planning to go on vacation for a few weeks as soon as they got the construction on that communications array finished, so I could divide my time both over there and with Sarah and Annabelle."

Ratchet jerked back in shock as the meaning of those words sank in. He bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

He's been so close to being able to catch up with his father after all those years, but he'd been too late. You never knew when one person's day would be their last. He didn't want to have any more regrets to add to his list. He was sure after this that he'd be pushing for more booking leave so he could spend more time with his wife and daughter. It wasn't at all a bad way to look at things.

He'd also been looking forward to seeing Skylar when he'd planned his vacation, but for added reasons. She'd been growing more and more distant over the years, to the point where she didn't even bother picking up the phone to talk to him anymore.

Of course he realized now wasn't the best time to be interrogating her on that quite yet. At least she seemed happy enough to see him earlier, thrilled he'd made the effort, even if she'd been completely confused by why.

 _I need to find out what's going on inside her head._ He'd bide his time for now, but eventually he'd sit down and have a talk with her after she got better. At least he could easily enough now that she was going to be living on the farm.

She couldn't avoid it or refuse opening up now. They'd both lost someone very close to them, and he was tired of her seemingly trying to distance herself from him. He missed his sister greatly, and he reckoned she needed him to be there for her more than she let on. Out of their immediate circle of blood relatives it they were the only one's left. There was no one else to turn towards anymore, just each other.

As for those bad habits Ratchet was worried about...

"When we get her back home I'll ask Sarah to keep a close eye on her, make sure she's taking care of herself properly. Sarah won't let her go downhill if there's anything she can do to stop it." Will was convinced of it, and he undoubtedly wouldn't let it happen either so long as he was around. He took a deep breath and decided to get onto another stressful topic as Ratchet listened intently. "We should be ready to leave in about a week. The funeral is in 5 days. It's going to be a military ceremony, no viewing, closed casket." _For obvious reasons._

Will had gone down to visit the morgue earlier. Against his better judgement obviously, because now he realized while his father's death may have been quick, he was quite sure it had been very painful. The body had been crushed and mangled beyond recognition. He'd almost been sick upon seeing it, not an easy feat to accomplish for a soldier. It was a gruesome way to go, exactly the Decepticons style. Everything they did was gruesome and cruel.

"You know everyone will be there to offer their support and respect, both Autobots and humans. You're closest team mates are already making travel preparations to attend the ceremony."

Epps must have told everyone then. That made things infinitely easier."Thank you. It means a lot."

"It's no problem." Ratchet assured easily. "To quote something Optimus would say, since NEST has been created we've all come to know each other well, Autobot and humans alike. We aren't just soldiers anymore, working together to eliminate a common threat." The sincerity in his eyes was undeniable. "We are comrades in arms now, friends even. That's what friends do for one another."

Will smiled at that, the most genuine one he'd probably have for a while. The grumpy medic was right, and the support made him feel just that little bit better. Then he had a thought, and smirked up at the holoform, who now looked guarded and dubious.

"So, that's what Optimus would say."

"Yes..."

"You sure it wasn't just you?"

Silence.

"Slag it, Lennox. Just take the support and don't tell anyone I said that."

Will simply laughed.

* * *

Waking up this time was different.

Sure, there were still similarities. My body was still very sore and my head was mildly hazy. My eyes squinted and ached from the overwhelming amount of sunlight that shone through the window, signalling a brand new morning.

The difference was I remembered the previous day's events with perfect clarity. It was like waking into a nightmare instead of from one. My body still ached subtly from the aftershock of the emotional hysteria I'd experienced before those doctors has stuck me with a needle, which I'd figured out quite quickly was sedative.

A part of me wished I could fall back asleep, if just to escape for a bit. But my body had had enough asleep, and there would be no easy escape from the reality I wanted no part in.

My eyes began to prick with tears, a sob trying to rise within my chest as the grief attempted to take over once again. I felt the edges of emotional shock beginning to set in once again as my mind struggled and failed to comprehend an entire life without my father. He'd always gone away for long periods of time, but he would always come back. Not anymore.

The door to my room opened quite suddenly, causing me to jump and blink rapidly to try and clear the tears away. Will entered the room slowly, looking worried as he gently shut the door behind him.

"I see you're awake now." He spoke softly as he walked over and settled into the chair to the left of the bed. "You okay kiddo?"

 _No, I'm not._

"I'm fine." I cursing silently at how weak and choked that sounded.

Will stared back unconvinced. "You sure?"

I sat up straighter and cleared my throat, being thankful that my voice came out clearer and steadier the second time. "Yeah. Everything's okay."

Will nodded slowly, gazing at me sombrely and crossing his arms. "There are some things we need to talk about...and I know how hard this is going to be, but it can't wait."

I nodded slowly, attempting to keep a calm demeanour on the outside while inside I was intensely dreading this conversation. Nevertheless, I folded my hands in my lap and waited patiently for him to start, trying in the meantime to reach a state of mind that would allow me to view everything subjectively. I didn't want to break down again.

Will gave a large sigh, slumping forward in his seat with shoulders hunched. "Well, first off, the house is a total write off. I've already phoned Sarah and talked about the situation with her. You'll be living at our farm once we are done with everything here."

"Okay." I spoke quietly and uncertainly. "How long am I allowed to stay for?"

Will shook his head in mild disbelief as that question. "As long as you want to. We're family, you don't have to be shy about it. You won't be imposing at all."

It felt weird to think about living there with Sarah and his child. I knew where they lived, but I'd never personally been to the house, and had talked to Sarah on only a few occasions. Still, I didn't have much choice for the moment and Sarah seemed like a decent woman in the few times I had met her, so I accepted with another small nod.

Will continued. "Now, I've talked to the doctor and you'll be released tomorrow morning. You'll still be sore two to three weeks, so he's prescribing pain meds to help you manage in the meantime"

I hummed an affirmative.

"When you get released we'll have to go out shopping and get you some new clothes since the house suffered some fire damage from the propane tanks." Will shot me an amused look at my obvious reluctance. I wasn't a big fan of clothes shopping. His amusement quickly died down, and the tone of the room quickly turned even more serious. That was the only warning for what was to come next.

"Now...about the funeral." He began. He stared at me carefully, gauging my reaction. I tensed a bit but otherwise remained in control.

Just keep it subjective, detached. Don't think about it too closely for too long and everything will be fine.

"When is it?" I asked calmly.

"In five days." He answered. "That should give enough time to contact anyone wanting to attend and give us enough time to plan and sort things out in the meantime. We'll be heading to an airbase right after the service." He averted his eyes down to the floor as his hands clenched into fists. "It going to be closed casket."

Before I even had time to think about what that meant the door to the room opened, startling me. I hadn't even had the mind to wonder where Will's comrade had been all this time as he strolled in casually. Will seemed neither surprised nor bothered by his entrance, as though he'd been expecting the medic to appear.

"Good morning Miss Lennox." Ratchet greeted quite formally.

"Good morning Ratchet." I still shook my head internally at that name. It just felt so unusual to call someone that.

The medic stood at the end of the bed and stared over at Will, waiting for something. My gaze darted between the two of them uncomfortably, a sense of dread washing over me. They both wanted something from me, and I had the distinct feeling I wasn't going to like what it was. Will was the one to start.

"Skylar, what happened that night?"

 _Shit._

There was no way I could talk about that. Neither of them would believe me if I'd told them the truth of what I'd seen. It was impossible after all... or it was supposed to be.

Unfortunately there was no good excuse to give about what had happened to cause all that destruction or... the death. No reason would be believable enough. The best thing I had in my arsenal was feigning memory loss again. I didn't want to think about it anyways.

"I'm not sure." I started, rubbing by head casually as if it were still bothering me. "All I recall was the ground shaking, then suddenly the whole barn started to collapse over me."

Both men looked highly sceptical. I tried to remain unfazed.

"There was a lot of destruction around the lot, Skylar." Will frowned at me. "You have no idea what could have caused that? Didn't see or hear anything unusual?"

"No." I stated smoothly. "It all just came out of nowhere."

Will went to respond, then hesitated for a moment. He seemed reluctant to ask whatever it was he was thinking. "Then how did you know he had died?"

I gulped, feeling sick, and quickly scrambled for a plausible explanation. There was no need hiding the discomfort this time, either way it was an uncomfortable subject. "I... heard a scream before I was knocked out. When I finally remembered the event last night and your behaviour, I... put two and two together."

I had never been much good at lying, but this time I was sure my story would at the very least be convincing enough to get anyone off my back and let it go. Everything I was telling them were half truths. The only thing I was leaving out was anything involving that... thing. That abomination.

Will started me down hard, searching for any trace of deceit. I wasn't sure what my face revealed.

"If there's something you're not telling us, we need to know. Whatever it is, we'll listen to you." Will pressed on. His eyes were filled with understanding. "Now are you sure that's all you can remember?"

I met his gaze directly. "That's all I remember."

Will responded in the strangest way. He looked over to Ratchet, who had not interfered the entire time, instead taking to observing everything carefully. The medic shook his head subtly, and Will sighed, looking back to me in disappointment which truly baffled me.

Alarm bells rung out inside my head. Had I just failed some test? It shouldn't matter so much that I was twisting the truth, since it wasn't Will's jurisdiction anyways and he surely wasn't aware of the newly arrived being that now lurched the countryside... could he?

I was sure Will was going to call me out on something by the way he was staring, but instead he just dug out his cell phone and stood up.

"Okay. I have to make a call. Just relax and try and get some rest. A nurse will probably be around shortly to serve breakfast." He turned to leave, opening the door and glancing over his shoulder at Ratchet. To my surprise the medic didn't follow, and instead stayed where he was with an almost stubborn air. Will narrowed his eyes momentarily, then appeared to let it go and closed the door behind him.

The room was deathly silent. I refused to look at the medic, but I could feel his stare burning into the side of my head. After a while Ratchet broke the silence, and he was quite direct about it.

"I know you are lying to us."

I flinched, shocked that he was being so bold and straight forward. My reaction right there would have given me away to anyone, but it probably didn't matter much at this point anyways. The way Will had looked to him for affirmation hinted that the medic was a good people reader. He'd have to be for his type of job.

"I'm not lying." I denied anyways, rather futilely. "I just don't remember it clearly."

"You remember enough to say something. Yet you are giving us nothing." Ratchet accused, walking slowly over to the side of the bed, arms crossed and fixing me with a stern gaze. I simply turned my head to stare out the window.

"Yeah, well you guys can't make me say anything. Like the law says, I have the right to remain silent."

Ratchet's eyes widened in bemusement in my peripheral.

"We are not here to persecute you, Miss Lennox. We are here to help you." He stated firmly. He fell quiet for a moment before continuing. His voice grew noticeably softer and understanding. "You know you can't continue to live in denial like this."

I clenched my jaw stubbornly. "I'll deny it as long as it takes."

"And what happens when you must face those memories you wish to forget?"

This man was nothing if not perceptive and realistic. He certainly had a point... But I was barely keeping it together right now. If I talked about anything now I felt I would truly fall to pieces.

My gaze grew unfocused, off in my own little world now and staring out at the green mountain scape forlornly. I needed to stay together, for as long as was possible.

"Then I'll deal with them when the time comes... Not a moment sooner."

* * *

 _A little favour to ask you all... I kind of did a rush job (for me anyways) and threw together the last scene literally a half hour before posting this, so I didn't get time to review it properly (I really wanted to give you guys an update). If any of you notice errors or a section that doesn't make sense, let me know and I'll go back and fix it immediately. Any help is greatly appreciated in advance. Now on to review replies:_

 **LittleManY2K:** Thank you! I'm so happy you love my long chapters, because most of them will probably be that way aside from this exception. As for your question regarding Sunstreaker... I can't say how or when, but our lovable Sunflower of Doom will be in this story later on. I don't think it'll be too long a wait. I don't have the heart to tear the two apart permanently.

 **Guest:** I'm glad you liked it! I'm sorry I left you on another cliffhanger, I didn't think it was that bad XD That's reader perspective vs writer perspective I guess :)

 **Kaylee:** Thanks! I'm enjoying writing it too!

 **Graceful-But-Forgetful-Writer:** Firstly, love your username. Secondly, thanks! I'm glad I got the suspense right.

 **galaxywolf169:** Your review made me melt on the spot. I'd like to think I have a lot to improve upon, but it makes me so happy to know when I'm doing a good job. I'm going to try very hard to keep the canon characters as in-character as possible, it's just a matter of getting a feel fo them and their voices, or expanding upon what they may be like (the movies don't do them justice enough, so I'm taking a few of those liberties in this story). I love that you like Skylar. There's going to be plenty of mystery regarding her throughout the entire story. As for the Con... you'll find out soon enough :)

 _Thank you to the rest of my followers, favourites and readers. You'll hear from me again soon!_

* * *

 **Date posted: August 23rd, 2015**


	4. Chapter 4: When The Waves Come Crashing

_Well, here's the next chapter. I've seriously gotta stop making deadline promises on my updates, as so far I seem to be setting a 'day late' record. At least I'm still managing to update this weekly. Hopefully I'll continue to do so._

 _Okay, so I'll be introducing something called a 'featured song' on select chapters. I've read other stories where authors try to match their chapters with a song of a suitable mood, and I loved that so much that I want to do it with my story. Also discovered some great music that way. I won't be able to do it every chapter, but ones that I can find a song for certainly._

 _You don't have to listen if you don't want to, but if you want some extra effect, there it is. Most of the suggestion I make can be easily found on youtube, such as this song here._

 ** _Featured song: '_** _Dreams' by Eyes Half Closed (suitable for the first half of the chapter)_

 _I've decided to answer reviews again at the bottom. Now on with the story! :)_

* * *

 **~Chapter Four~**

 **When The Waves Come Crashing Down**

* * *

I stared at the black dress suit that was laid across the motel room bed with a growing sense of unease. This day felt distinctly surreal, and it was certainly an entertaining thought. To keep believing this was all just some elaborate dream. Except that I now knew the difference between real and vivid thanks to the gruesome nightmares that had been stalking me through my dreams all week, an unwelcome reminder.

Making me remember, even when I tried so hard not to. It was making me truly realize what a futile effort it was to block everything out. You couldn't choose what memories you wanted to repress. The mind just didn't work that way.

It didn't help that Will had still been questioning me about the circumstances of our fathers death, though he wasn't pushing the issue as hard as I new he could be. Probably trying to be sensitive to the fact that I was his younger sister after all, and we were both dealing with a very personal issue right now.

As for his friend Ratchet, he hadn't pursued the issue as all since then. It surprised me after he'd been so forward before, but every time he glanced my way I got the distinct feeling that he was simply trying to wait me out. That I'd break down eventually and simply tell them on my own terms...

 _Ha_. Like I was going to make it that easy. I had to keep this secret like my life depended on it. It didn't matter how understanding they seemed to be at the moment, as soon as I told them the truth they were going to demand I have a mental examination... Or just throw me in some version of the looney bin, either or.

 _Not happening._

Today though, I wouldn't have the choice when it came to blocking it all out. No more trying to avoid the entire matter in my head, if only for respects sake. It would feel like dishonouring his memory if I refused to recall anything about him in a vain attempt to preserve my own emotional stability. He deserved better than that.

Today was Thomas Lennox's funeral.

"Skylar, are you ready yet? We have to leave soon!" Will called through the door, disturbing my reverie as he rapped his fist against the door loudly.

"Give me a few minutes." I called back and started putting on the suit that had been bought only a few days ago. No dresses or skirts, that wasn't my type. This was a military funeral anyways, and the suit was more formal.

At least the bruising was fading for the most part, so I wouldn't look too bad to everyone else. Getting the shirt and blazer on was a challenge since it caused the pain from the bruised ribs to spike, but I managed. I tugged at the high collar of the grey undershirt, satisfied when it hid the birthmark on my chest perfectly, then smoothed over the jet black blazer and pant legs to rid them of any creases.

Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I opened the door and stepped out of the motel and into the overcast day. Will was leaning against the driver side of his large black truck, clean shaven and dressed in his military suit and beret. Ratchet was leaning against his own vehicle, a yellow Search and Rescue Hummer, also dressed in military garb. Both their attention's settled on me.

"You look nice." Will complemented.

"Thanks." I smiled weakly. "So do both of you."

"Ready to go?" He asked delicately. The smile disappeared immediately.

 _No... I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be..._

"Let's just get this over with." I said plainly, walking over to the passenger side of the GMC Topkick and heaving myself up the side of the insanely tall truck, buckling in. Will and Ratchet shared a look before they both followed suite and got in the driver's seats of their respective vehicles.

Will started the truck, and the engine roared to life. Being a mechanic for all intents and purposes, the truck didn't sound quite right. It was supposed to run on diesel, but the sound was distinctly smoother. I spent the better part of the drive after both vehicles pulled out of the lot musing what the difference could be. Thinking about things like cars and mechanics usually helped distract my mind from other things, and it helped me block out the thoughts of the coming events for a little while longer.

It was peaceful, for a bit.

Then we pulled up to the funeral home. The hearse was parked outside, back doors open and waiting.

"Stay in here please." Will climbed out and approached the funeral home.

I turned away and used the time to inspect the many vehicles already lined up and waiting down the road for the short drive to the cemetery. There was a lot of military grade SUVs, probably borrowed from the nearest military base, and some plain rented cars.

The massive vehicle at the front of the line caught my attention, and as soon as I laid eyes on it I was filled with a sense of awe and shock. What was a vehicle like that doing here?

It was a customized Peterbuilt semi, adorned with a deep blue body and sporting bright red flame decals along the front grill and sides. I'd never seen a semi like that before, but it was both an amazing and cool sight to behold. There was also a certain sense of admiration to be had for it. Curiosity took over, pushing me to find out who the owner was, but the tint on the windows was too dark to make out any trace of a figure.

I slumped back into the seat, pouting in disappointment. When I turned back around towards the funeral home, my heart plummeted. Will and three other uniformed soldiers were standing on either side of a glossy mahogany coffin, carrying it over to the back of the hearse and loading it in carefully.

My body trembled, cold with temporary shock as another vivid flashback plagued my vision for the hundredth time, making my stomach turn in distress.

Will talked to the driver of the hearse for a brief minute before jogged back over to the truck. He seemed mildly unsettled himself as he shut the door and turned the key in the ignition, staring off into space for a beat as the other soldiers ran back to their vehicles and the hearse prepared to leave.

When he turned to me, the paleness of my face must have clued him in to my state. He reached over the cabin and grasped my left hand comfortingly. I nodded in thanks, the gesture helped to pull me back to the present.

The hearse started pulling away and my brother put his other hand on the steering wheel, driving straight behind it and slipping ahead of the Peterbuilt. I glanced in the rearview mirror as all the cars behind us started following at a respectfully slow pace.

"It's going to be okay."

The sudden words of reassurance from my brother startled me. A part of me wondered whether he was trying to make me feel better or to reassure himself. Probably a bit of both.

"…Yeah." I sure hoped he was right.

After a brief drive the cemetery turnoff came into sight and the long line of vehicles turned right onto the gravel trail that weaved through rows upon rows of gravestones, different sections ranging from weathered and crumbling to shiny and new. When the vehicles all stopped Will looked at me carefully. His eyes were filled with sadness, but also acceptance of that fact.

"Come on." He hopped out of the truck, making his way to my side where he opened the passenger door and offered a hand down. I stared at it for a second with mock scrutiny, delaying deliberately before I huffed and took it. Hesitation was only going to make this longer than it needed to be.

I climbed down and began following Will when an African American soldier called out to Will and jogged over, white teeth flashing in a blinding smile.

"Epps!" Will greeted happily as they patting each other on the back companionably. "I'm glad you could make it. I see most of the team came as well."

"We couldn't just leave you at a time like this, man. We're all sorry you have to go through this. And that goes to you too, Skylar." I jerked in surprise. I'd never see this man before, and yet he already seemed to know me without any doubt.

Seeing my shock, the soldier simply walked over, not discouraged in the least.

"You look so much like your brother, and I've heard a lot about you. Will and I have worked in the army together for many years now. I'm USAF Master Sergeant Robert Epps, call me Epps." He offered his hand to me, which I shook with little hesitation. He seemed like a very friendly, upbeat man. I followed his gaze as he inclined his head towards the line of cars. "And here comes the rest of the cavalry."

A large group of soldiers walked directly towards us, all dressed in the same uniform as my brother and Epps. Ratchet was closely flanking a rather tall man who appeared to be leading the group. I hadn't seen who had exited the massive decaled truck, but considering the fact that Ratchet's vehicle and it had both been the closest behind us, it was entirely possible the other man could have been the driver of the semi.

Will and Epps drifted over to them. I hung back and watched from a distance as Will greeted the group enthusiastically, then spoke to man at the front as the rest of them walked off. The unnamed man was tall and lean yet strong, with short brown hair that was slightly tousled and greying at the sides.

Epps glanced over his shoulder when he noticed my absence and waved me over. I walked over slowly, almost shyly. The mystery man was in the process of speaking when I walked up to stand on the left side of my brother.

"-they send their condolences as well. They both wish they could have been here."

"I can't thank you enough. You really didn't have to do this."

"It is no problem. The base will still be well taken care of in both our absences. " The man had a deep baritone voice that was hard to ignore. It screamed authority and carried a strangely regal quality, drawing you in.

Then his eyes fell on me, and I squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze, previous notions increasing tenfold. His eyes were the same bright blue as Ratchet's if not brighter. They were intense and piercing, like they weren't just seeing me, but looking right into me. They also held measure of wisdom that didn't seem to match his age.

My brother took note of our stare down and quickly introduced me. "Skylar, this is someone very important to my division. He's a fellow leader and friend of mine. You can call him Optimus." He turned to look at 'Optimus' while I mused silently at the unique name. "This is my little sister." I bristled silently when he introduced me like that.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Skylar Lennox. I'm glad to see that you are well after the accident. I offer my deepest condolences. What occurred was should not have happened."

Flashes of fire and deep red eyes clouded my vision. _No...it shouldn't have._

"It was a freak accident. But it is what it is." I spoke in a distant manner as I managed to focus back on Optimus as the nightmarish memories faded again...for now. "Thank you for coming all this way for my brother. It really means a lot."

After a while, all the condolences and sorry's began to deflect off you in instances such as this. However I did truly feel touched that so many of my brother's team made it here just to show their support. It was hard enough for soldiers to get time away from base when on duty. It looked like he had some really great friends. The thought almost made me want to cry before I forced my mind to go blank in order to stop the feeling dead in it's tracks, before it overwhelmed me.

Will glanced at me, surprised yet proud at my words and the emotional tone beneath them as Optimus stared sympathetically. "That same support is offered to you as well, young one."

Young one? Now that made me feel even smaller around him. As if he wasn't tall enough.

At that moment the minister came over to our group and informed us that they were about ready to start the ceremony. All the other attendants had been sorted into the correct standing points while we'd been talking. My brother turned to me after the minister walked back over to the gathering.

"Do you want to say anything during the ceremony?"

I shook my head sombrely. "I think the talking is best left to you. You'll know the right things to say."

Will gazed at me a second longer before he put his hand gently on my shoulder and guided me over to the standing group. Epps, Ratchet and Optimus followed closely.

We all walked to stand at the centre of the front row. Will stood on my right with Epps beside him, while Ratchet stood to my left with Optimus on the far side. The dark mahogany casket was right there in front of us as the minister took his place directly behind it.

The minister started a typical speech in memory of Thomas, similar to how normal funerals would go. Then he started citing some passages from the bible I didn't care to listen to. I didn't really believe in any of that stuff so I simply tuned it out for now, staring blankly ahead of me and trying to keep my mind quiet and calm for now.

Next, several military officers who had personally know our father stepped forward and offered their own words about his devotion and hard work in his time of service. Some where old veterans, others were younger soldiers that he'd obviously helped train for the Navy. From all their perspectives, he seemed like an amazing man to them. It hit me hard listening to them, but I still managed to keep the tide of emotion roiling deep inside at bay.

Then my brother walked up with once last glance at me, though I didn't show any signs of acknowledgement. He turned to face the crowd, looking down at the ground as he gathered his thoughts.

For a moment I considered tuning this speech out, because it would hurt the most... or it would be no different than every other soldier who'd spoken today. But I couldn't _not_ listen. If anyone's words were important to me today, if any of them truly mattered, it was my brother's. I _would_ hold it together in the meantime.

Finally Will looked back up at the crowd, cleared his throat and started.

"Thomas Alexander Lennox was a great man. He was very successful in his career, commanding his ship and crew in the Navy with self assurance and the confidence needed to make a great leader. He was patient and fair to everyone, and I can see that his crew was treated no differently. He cared about people a lot and only wanted to see them reaching their full potential, helping and training them along the way. He will forever be a valued and remembered Captain of the United States Navy.

"But more importantly, he was a father. He was mine and my sister's father." Will's eyes flicked over to me so quickly I barely caught it, before returning them to view the crowd as a whole again. "He wasn't always there for us. Being in the military with a family so far away from from you is very hard, I understand that now more than I ever did. For half of our life he was away on rotation, and sometimes me and my sister would be angry with him for that fact... But it didn't change the fact he cared for the both of us very deeply. He told me once how much he hated that he couldn't have be with us more, to share in the moments we had growing up. But all he ever wanted was the best for both our futures, and he'd do anything to make it happen."

 _I change my mind,_ _I shouldn't be listening to this_. My throat was choking up and the pressure in my chest was steadily increasing to an almost unbearable level.

Will sighed, shaking his head as if to ward away tormenting thoughts, and continued. "I keep running through my mind that I'm never going to see him again, and that's a scary thought. He still had a lot of life left to live, a lot left to give." Will's voice thickened and wavered minutely, barely noticeable unless you truly knew him. He coughed to clear it the best he could. "But over this past week I've learned to come to terms with it in my own way. To accept that no matter where he may be now, we'll always carry his strength, his accomplishments, his legacy. Our love for him and his love for us always. As long as we continue to remember and to feel these things, he'll never be forgotten. He'll always remain with us and guide us, even in absence." As he spoke those last sentences his eyes settled on mine. They were so full of sorrow that the sight almost made me loose what little composure I had right there.

My brother was a very strong and collected man, so seeing that kind of pain was something no one was used to witnessing, and it unnerved me above all else. The sight weakened my own fading defences and I almost broke down pitifully. I could already feel my eyes beginning to water as I fought desperately not to let a single tear drop.

My saving grace at that moment was in the form of a dark skinned hand that wound around mine and squeezed gently. I accepted Epps comfort and held it tightly, using the support as an anchor as I stubbornly shoved the encroaching tide back, regaining control with a large swell of tenacity. My eyes no longer threatened to overflow.

"It means so much to see you all here today." Will wrapped up his speech. "My dad would have been very happy to see you and to know he meant so much. Thank you, every single one of you." Will drifted back towards the crowd and took up his place back at my other side as Epps released my hand and gave him his spot back.

A group of soldiers with rifles came froward to prepare for the three shot volley. My hand was now being occupied with Will's instead as the shots were fired. The loud bangs sent shocks through my ears, echoing through the grasslands and valleys of the countryside. I couldn't help but think that the shots seemed desolate and lonely as the third and final volley rang out and faded away, nothing to remind me they were even there to begin with weren't it for the lingering ring in my ears.

The service went by quickly after that. The minister said a few more words before he wrapped up the ceremony. He handed white roses to each family member and close friend our father had, and they each went up to set them gently on the top of the casket. My brother and I were the last ones to walk up and set ours down, and I remained skillfully detached from the situation. As the funeral finally ended, a few people walked up beside the casket to say their final goodbye's while others slowly trailed off back to the line of cars to give room for privacy. I stood at a distance and watched.

I vaguely knew a few of the people that stood beside the casket and whispered sombre words before drifting off so the next ones could approach. They were about the same age as my father or older. A few were younger ones, obviously new to the navy and probably trained by him no more than a few years ago.

As the last few people left my brother walked past me up to the casket like everyone else, back straight and stiff as he gazed down at it. I looked away for a moment to the vehicles, where most of the people had got in and were relaxing, waiting patiently for my brother and I to finish so they could all leave together. We were supposed to follow his division buddies to the nearest military airbase, where Will and I were going to catch a carrier plane to North Carolina, his farm.

Will's strange friends had not gotten back into their vehicles yet, and were currently leaning against them. The one named Optimus strangely had his focus trained on me. I couldn't read his expression from here, so I turned away to ignore him instead.

And jumped and I came face to face with Will, who I hadn't heard walking up.

"Do you want to go now?" He asked tentatively, unsure of what I wanted to do and cryptically asking the exact opposite. I contemplated the casket laying alone now with few others in sight, and heaved a sigh.

"Can I have a few minutes? This is the last chance I'll get to for a long time I imagine." Will nodded in understanding before patting my shoulder and heading back to his black truck.

I stared at the coffin dubiously before steeling myself and walking slowly up to it. It felt awkward even considering talking to someone who was no longer there. Thinking deeply, I decided to instead reflect on all the good times I had with my father, even though the notable moments were far between. I smiled slightly.

Even if he hadn't been there a lot, and my grandfather had done half the raising himself, he had still been an influential part of my life. I counted and lost track of the many times I'd reflected his tenacity and determination in my own daily life. I wanted to live that on above all else. I'd almost changed my mind on talking to thin air when another thought popped into my mind.

How would everyone else remember him? I realized now that no one had mentioned how exactly he had died all throughout the funeral. What story or reason had they made up for the reason behind his death? It must be devastating having no clear explanation for why your friend had been taken from the world.

To think that you were going to see a person as they went on leave, away from the all the danger, and realizing that that moment with them was your single last... That was equally as bad.

Which left me with another question. Because my mind had still been a bit fuzzy in one small area, and I wanted the answer. I knew it lay just beyond that curtain.

 _What had been my last moment with him?_

As soon as that thought occurred I realized my mistake. My mind had repressed something until now, it just wasn't the one I originally wished for.

It was too late to stop it. The one memory I'd miraculously managed to seal away, unknowingly, came forward and reared it's ugly impression.

The floodgates broke and so did I.

Maybe the blessed block had only been there because I knew subconsciously that it would do the most damage... and it did. It threatened to swallow me whole and submerge me as I choked, weeping and drowning in face of the most intense emotion I had ever felt. One so deep I lost myself to the cold tide as something inside me fractured. I couldn't save myself from what would follow and haunt me for many years to come.

I couldn't save myself from the guilt.

* * *

 _ **North Carolina**_

Will's hands tightened on the steering wheel and mimicked it's movement as the black Topkick turned off onto a familiar road that would eventually lead back to the farm, his home. He was ecstatic to see Sarah and Annabelle after months of duty on the isolated island headquarters of NEST. He'd phoned ahead and informed his wife he'd be returning home for a few weeks downtime. He wouldn't be coming alone either.

Will glanced towards the opposite side of the spacious cabin where his sister was apparently trying to set a record for world's quietest passenger. He hadn't even seen her move more than a centimetre since the ride started from the airbase. She was sitting in the seat with her back angled towards him, looking out the window so he couldn't see her face. He'd been more aware of Ironhide's presence as a sentient truck then her for the hour and a half long drive.

He was worried about the change. Skylar had barely said a word except when absolutely necessary since the funeral. He sensed the drastic change in mood as soon as she'd climbed back into the truck after standing by the casket for a while. She'd been holding up so well, considering the situation. Now she was simply...detached. Completely.

If he was honest with himself, the change made him beyond anxious. However he hoped it was simply a phase of the grieving process that would pass within the week. He didn't know what he would do otherwise.

Pulled from his thoughts, Will looked up eagerly when the turnoff to the farm's driveway came into view.

"We're just about there Sky." He informed his sister in an upbeat tone, using her nickname and trying to affect her with his own enthusiasm. She merely grunted in acknowledgement. Well, at least it was something other than the silence he'd been greeted with all day. She almost sounded like Ironhide when he was in one of his gruff moods, which was often.

Usually he would have teased the old Autobot about the similarity, but they'd agreed she wasn't to know about him or any of the others. As it was he had to pretend to drive the entire time since Ironhide preferred to do it because it was 'safer'.

They'd still got nothing out of her about the attack, but it wasn't safe to just assume she was oblivious of the Decepticon that had torn through their old home and life. If she knew she was in one of the very same species now she'd panic without question.

They finally turned down the long gravel driveway, climbing up the hill before the land dipped back down again, the road behind them falling far from sight. The yellow and white home came into view. As Ironhide pulled up close to the front porch, his beautiful wife Sarah came out the front door, with his year old daughter Annabelle sitting snugly in her arms. They both smiled happily at their arrival, Annabelle cooing and giggling as Will quickly dived out and engulfed them both in a warm hug.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't be there Will." Sarah whispered as she clung back. "I should have been."

"No. It's okay honey, I understand. I'm just glad I'm here with you now." He answered back softly, kissing her cheek. He understood and even approved of why his wife couldn't be there for the funeral. Annabelle was still so young, too young for either of them being comfortable taking her so far from home like that yet. They both would rather wait till she was older before she could travel unless absolutely necessary.

Will broke from the hug, planting a playful kiss on the top of Annabelle's head, before turning back to Ironhide, where Skylar still sat inside. He was glad to see she'd at least shifted position. She was observing the trio through the windshield with a rather blank expression. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Get your butt out here Skylar!" He shouted at her, waving her over and approaching the front of the truck. Sarah followed closely with an amused glance at her husband, patting the front of Ironhide's hood in silent greeting.

Skylar sat still a beat longer before relenting and slowly climbing out of the truck with stiff movements. Will remembered something and quickly rushed over to her side in case she stumbled. Surprisingly she showed no signs of the vertigo she sometimes obtained after air travel as she planted both feel on the ground and walked around the front of the truck, looking over Sarah almost apprehensively.

His wife walked right up to Skylar and wound one arm around her as she balanced a curious baby on her hip. "It's so nice to have you here Skylar, it's been way too long since I've last seen you." His sister showed no outward reaction to the hug, her hands hanging limp at her sides, simply tolerated the gesture. "I'm sorry it couldn't have been on better circumstances."

"Thanks." Skylar replied in monotone.

"Come on. Let's get you inside and show you to your room. Will can take care of bringing the luggage in."

"Thanks for that. Really appreciate it." Will said with playful sarcasm, throwing her a mock glare as Sarah simply smirked and led Skylar inside the house, guiding her by the shoulder with one hand. Will let out a gust of air once they were inside and walked to the back doors of the truck where the suitcase and duffel bag sat on the seats.

"Is it normal for a human femme to be so...detached?"

Will paused in the backseat, looking towards the house before figuring it was safe enough. "People react differently to grief Ironhide. It's sometimes not necessarily healthy, but given the situation it's not surprising either."

"And if she stays that way?" The bot inquired.

Will scowled. "She better not. I'll kick her ass for it. But in all seriousness I highly doubt it. I think it's just her way of coping with whatever is going through her head for now."

"So I don't need to notify Ratchet?"

Will laughed. "No, you don't. He's bad enough at base, I don't think we want him coming here and kicking up a fuss like that." A thought crossed his mind, making him smirk mischievously. "So you're concerned for her that much already?"

To his surprise the bot didn't take the bait from the gentle teasing. "Of course. I'm here to protect this family from anything, your sister included." Ironhide paused. "And I must admit, seeing the femme that way... unsettles me."

Will quirked a sight smile. "She'll be okay. But it's nice to see you looking out for our family like that," As he picked up the bags and climbed out, he kicked the door closed gently and added, "Teddy bear."

Don't ask, his wife came up with that nickname.

"Call me that again and I'll make you regret it, Lennox." Ironhide growled lowly as Will chuckled, leaving the Autobot to his own devices as Will stepped inside his home. He put down the luggage inside the front door as he took a cursory look around. It looked much the same as it had months back, the same old homey country atmosphere that always made him relax. He took a moment to savour the sense of peace and security it brought him.

He turned to the sound of footsteps coming down the stairway on his right. Sarah was still holding Annabelle, but Skylar was no longer with them.

"I showed her the room. She said she was tired, so she's staying up there right now." Sarah eyes plainly showed their worry.

"Well, we'll leave her be for now. Let her relax and settle down." Will glanced down as his phone abruptly went off, and frowned at the caller ID as he answered. "Hey Epps, what's going on?"

"Um...I hate to do this to you man," Epps started, no so promisingly. "But I think you're vacation is going to have to be put on hold for a little bit."

" _What?_ Why?" Will's frowned deeply, bewildered. Sarah's glanced warily at her husband, silently asking what was going on.

"Well, see, there's this new guy in D.C. that's been asking for your presence at a formal 'introduction' and meeting regarding NEST's functions and progress. Apparently he's the new National Security Advisor for the President. He wants you there in a few day's time."

"But I can't. I only just arrived home, _literally_ just walked through the front door. I can't leave." He declared firmly, starting to pace restlessly and raking a hand through his hair in agitation. "Wouldn't he be willing to reschedule the meet in a week's time at the very least?"

"I already tired that for you man, but he wouldn't budge. After that little chat I had on the phone with him I'm inclined to think he doesn't know or give a shit about what you've just gone through. I got a really bad vibe from him." Epps sounded equally upset about this turn of events, as well as _extremely_ apologetic.

Will visibly deflated. It wasn't Epps fault. He'd just have to go and get it over with so he could get back sooner. He just couldn't catch a break, could he? "Okay. Text me the details and I'll get ready to leave again soon. Anything else I should know?"

"Well, me and the Autobots plane's turned around mid-flight on the way back to base. We're en-route to a landing zone somewhere in Detroit."

Will paused halfway through dragging his hand down his face in exasperation. "Another Decepticon?"

"Nope." Epps grin could practically be heard through the speaker.

"Wait." Will caught what his friend was insinuating. "Autobot?"

"Yup!"

Will grinned himself. "Epps, that's the first good news I've had today. I guess Optimus' signal did work after all." Will was absolutely thrilled. They had been waiting moths for someone to intercept the Prime's signal and follow it back to Earth. They'd almost lost hope after all that time waiting. Maybe this was the start of even more receiving the message as well. NEST could really use the reinforcements, and the Autobots would certainly enjoy knowing another of their comrades was still alive.

"There's a slight problem though." Will sobered up when Epps voice dipped down concern. "Ratchet's almost positive from the signal's energy levels that this new bot's been injured. We should arrive at the site roughly around the estimated impact time, so we're all hoping the new guy can hang on long enough to land safely and Ratchet can get to him."

"Tell Ratchet I have faith in his ablilties." If the medic wasn't barking out on the other end then it meant the new Autobot would hang on. "Keep me informed on how it goes."

"Will do, Lennox."

"Talk to you soon." As the two men said their goodbye's and hung up Will turned to his wife's saddened and disappointed face, though she tried hiding it. Even his daughter seemed to somehow understand. His little girl was pouting, bottom lip trembling and eyes watering, threatening to overflow. Will instantly felt a wave of guilt at the sight.

"I'm sorry."

Sarah schooled her features, instead showing kindness and understanding. They both knew what they were getting into when they married. It would never be easy. "You did what you could. I know you wouldn't leave unless you had no other choice."

"When I meet that guy in D.C., I'm going to make him understand _exactly_ how much of a line he's crossed." Will promised, taking Annabelle into his arms and cuddling her affectionately. She cheered up almost instantly, hugging her father's neck close and giggling again.

"Oh I'm sure he will." Sarah's lips curved up knowingly, moving in to kiss her husband gently. She pulled away after only a few seconds, and upon Will's confused gaze she turned her eyes towards the stairway. "What about Skylar?"

Now he felt even worse about going. "I guess I'll just have to tell her I'm leaving and will be back as soon as possible." He glanced out the front door where the Topkick sat, no doubt privy to the conversation. "I think Ironhide should stay here while I'm gone. I can take a taxi to the nearest base, and he'll help keep watch and make sure you are all okay." He thought back to Skylar's current behaviour, considering something carefully. "And to make sure Sky doesn't do anything stupid. She's not one to start trouble, but I worry about what she could do to herself in the state she's in right now."

"We won't let anything happen to her." Sarah stated confidently. "She'll be well taken care of, and if she needs anyone to talk to I hope she'll confide in me."

"Thank you." Will's thoughts strayed to what Ratchet had been concerned about back at the hospital. "Oh, and can you make sure she's eating well? Ratchet was concerned about her eating habits when he scanned her a while ago."

Sarah was quick to answer. "I'll make sure she's eating properly, and if she doesn't want to I'll try my best to convince her. I hope she likes my cooking."

Will chuckled lightly. "I'm sure she'll love it. God knows I miss it when I'm at base." He glanced back up the stairway. "I guess I should let her know I'll be leaving soon and call that taxi." Sarah took Annabelle back into her arms and Will trucked his way up heavily up to the guest room nearest the banister. He knocked at the door. "Skylar?"

When he received no response he decided to crack the door open and take a peak inside. He spotted Skylar sitting on a wooden chair by the window, arms folded on the windowsill with her head resting upon them, wide awake. Her eyes gazed out blandly upon the landscape. He suddenly had a notion of wariness and foreboding sweep over him. He needed to be here more than anywhere else right now, and he wanted so badly to stay. Despite her outward demeanour, his sister was hurting very badly over something, and he had a feeling it wasn't just because of the loss anymore.

"Skylar?" She still refused to look at him, giving only a small hum to show him that she heard. "I was supposed to be on vacation for a while, but duty calls... so I'm going to have to put that on hold for a little while unfortunately. I'll be leaving today for D.C.." He waited for some kind of reaction, any kind.

"Okay."

 _That_ was not what he'd been wanting to hear.

"You're alright with that?" He asked her cautiously.

"Yeah." There it was again, that same simple, bland response. Uncaring, monotone.

He walked up to the window beside her and knelt down to her level. "Do you want to talk about anything before I leave? I'd be happy to listen if you have something on your mind that you'd need someone to listen to."

"I'm fine."

Will's shoulder's sagged as he exhaled in defeat, averting his eyes down at the floor momentarily. "Well I won't be away too long. I'm gonna try to make it back as soon as possible, and we can talk then if you want to."

She grunted in dismissal, not a flicker of emotion passing through those blue irises. He watched her a minute longer before he stood back up slowly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll see you soon kiddo."

He hesitantly stepped out of the room, compulsively looking back several times before he finally closed the door behind him, feeling for all the world like a failure as a brother.

* * *

 _Hope everyone liked it. Sorry if it was a bit sad, and cruel. One more chapter and we'll be getting to the stuff I'm very excited to write! One question for my reviewers. I'd like to hear what you think the reason is behind Skylar's guilt. I'm really interested in hearing the answers._

 _Now on to my reviewers;_

 **CurlyBookWriter94:** Thanks for the follow! You think my story is cool? I'm extremely flattered! It's about to get cooler ;)

 **LittleManY2K:** Sadly, the nickname Sunflower of Doom isn't mine. I read it in another story, only I've read so many stories with Sunstreaker that I can't remember which one. I don't think I'll be using it in mine, but I did have a sit down a long time ago and came up with a few more nicknames to push his buttons with in this one ;) There's just no resisting harassing him through the safety of fanfiction

 **CastielLunaWinchester:** Thanks, I'm glad you're liking my story and my OC! And yeah, working hard can be stressful, but for some people it's also a welcome distraction. Cue, Skylar's problem lol

 **galaxywolf169:** Yeah...Sky's going through hell right now, but it'll get better with time. And I'll always read my reviews because I love hearing about my readers reactions. Also it gives me that extra push to work on the next update ;) And there will be plenty of action, no worries there. Sky has a lot of growing to do before then, but at a certain point in the story it'll become her consistent companion. The romance will be coming later on too, it's just going to take a while... for certain reasons I can't divulge yet. No spoilers! :D

 **Guest:** Lol I wonder who your friend is ;) Thanks for the review, I'll do my best!

 **emztdaffan:** Thank you very much! I'm so glad you can visualize the scenes based on the descriptions, it means I'm doing it right!

 _Once again, thanks to my favourites and followers. I'll be posting again as soon as possible!_

* * *

 **Date posted: August 29th, 2015**


	5. Chapter 5: Medicine

_Hello, all. Here's the next update. Sorry it took two weeks. I was too busy to work on it last week, and then this week I decided to hold the chapter back for some careful editing._

 _I'm glad to see so many people came up with the same answer to my question from last chapter. More on that issue will be coming up soon._

 _ **Featured song** : Medicine by Daughter. Not all the lyrics fit, but the general emotion to it certainly does. The song will apply to Skylar's POV._

 _It's come to my attention thanks to a dear friend of mine that last chapter's song was impossible to find on youtube. I now have a link on my profile page to a playlist that will contain all the songs I'll be using as mood enhancers during Born To Be's story. If anyone has trouble finding the music you can use that, as it will be updated accordingly._

 _I have an important note at the bottom of the chapter that I would like to make you guys aware of. I'll be doing reviews again as well after the authors note._

* * *

 **~Chapter Five~**

 **Medicine**

* * *

Numb. That was the only word I could use to describe the gaping nothingness permeating and eating away at me from the inside, deep within my bones.

I knew how bad it sounded, but in the end it was worlds better than the alternative. The sensation acted like Novocain, and with every beat of my heart it muted the pain that would have otherwise completely destroyed me by now, had it remained untested.

I felt free. My mind had never been one to shut up easily, but right now it seemed so simple to just turn it all off. For once it wasn't a constant struggle to silence the never-ending chatter. It was almost effortless here in this calm and secluded countryside.

I was sitting in a simple wooden chair by the window of the guest room, hands folded against the windowsill with my chin resting atop them. I hadn't moved an inch in what felt like an eternity, feeling so out of touch with time itself. My eyes gazed with little interest as Will got into a taxi waiting at the front of the drive, where it eventually disappeared off into the distance.

I briefly questioned the logic of leaving his truck behind, but didn't pursue any answers. All I knew was that my brother was leaving me alone, and very far away yet again.

Typical.

There wasn't even an ounce of bitterness behind the thought, just plain acknowledgement and acceptance of a well know fact. One that was always going to happen. I'd given up caring about it now. I simply remained unmoving as the outside world changed, slowly turning shades darker as the shadows crept across grassy fields and hills.

At one point someone came into the room and started talking. I didn't bother to turn around and look, not caring who it was nor even what they were saying. The forced politeness from earlier was gone and I gave only a small hum as a response. It was all I could seem to manage the strength for most moments. The person left from what I could gather, the room becoming silent once again.

Some time later the person returned, placing something on the desk to the right of me and leaving once again. As soon as I turned to examine the plate of food, the sight and smell hit me with such an intense nausea I felt like I was going to hurl right then and there. I turned my head in the complete opposite direction, swallowing compulsively and trying my best to completely ignore it instead.

As I continued to watch, the sky turned overwhelming shades of pink and orange before the sun finally dipped below the horizon and darkness took it's place. It felt so much more peaceful, the calming night welcomed and embraced by the numbness within me. They suited each other well.

Late at night, when the moon was shining high in the sky, I jumped minutely as something touched my shoulders. I soon found a blanket encircling them, protecting me from the chilly breezes and temperature of the evening that I'd barely even noticed until now.

I blinked, feeling a very diluted form of shock pass through my system for only a split second. Will's wife picked up the plate of food that had gone stale and untouched, leaving only the glass of water behind and vacating the room quietly once again. I happened to notice she didn't even close the door behind her. Had it been open the entire time?

I lightly shoved the shock down below the depths of the thick barrier, along with all the other less savoury emotions that threatened to pounce the first second I let them. But I couldn't help but think that Sarah was definitely something else, through her actions if not anything else. She should be unhappy with me for ignoring her, and instead she was being kind. My brother had chosen a good wife.

Leaving the blanket to warm up my skin and sooth the minor aches developing in my muscles, I blocked out all thoughts again, including the ones where I wondered what was going to happen to me next.

I had a feeling I wasn't going to like the answer much.

* * *

Sarah paraded around the kitchen one morning, multitasking like only a mother could. She had Annabelle cradled securely against her waist since she'd started crying to be picked up after breakfast. She walked around the table, balanced dishes in her other hand and setting them into a sink full of water to soak for a bit while she took care of other things.

Sarah had invited Skylar downstairs to join them, just like she did every morning. She'd surprised her by actually answering with full sentences this morning, but the woman had still declined. Nevertheless, Sarah had brought up a plate for her in the hope that she would change her mind. It was about time to go back upstairs and check on her again.

Sarah walked up the stairs carefully with Annabelle still in her arms, going up to the guest room and walking through the door which was always open. Skylar hadn't even bothered to shut it herself for privacy's sake.

At a single glance upon entering the room, Sarah sighed and shook her head in growing despair. Why had she thought today would be any different?

The plate of breakfast sat untouched and Skylar was still in her signature area by the window, looking out it and seeming barely conscious at the time. She looked beyond exhausted at this point, and the deep dark circles developing under her eyes grew worse with each passing day.

Sarah didn't know what to do anymore.

How could she even deny a breakfast like that? It was Sarah's special breakfast. Crispy bacon, eggs, whole wheat toast with homemade jam, homemade fries and nice fluffy blueberry pancakes, all rolled into one massive plate with a side of fruit slices. If Skylar couldn't find a single thing she liked on that plate then she was by far the pickiest person Sarah had ever met.

Sarah briefly considered storming up to Skylar and shouting at her, shaking her, anything to break her out of this lifeless state. It wasn't the way she wanted to do things, but she was starting to feel very desperate.

Only one thing stopped her from doing just that at this point. Sarah felt she didn't know Will's sister well enough to even have the right to do that. The young woman was in such a fragile state that Sarah didn't know how hard she could push, and what Skylar would do in retaliation if she pushed too far.

Sarah wasn't concerned about her lashing out physically. Will had told her enough about his sister for her to be confident in the fact that Skylar wasn't that kind of person. Instead Sarah feared she could do more damage than had already been done if she handled the situation improperly. She'd never seen anything like this before.

Sarah needed help. She needed a plan of action, and soon. When her eyes were drawn to the dark figure below the windowsill, she realized how lucky she was to have someone she could bounce ideas off of sitting right outside.

With one last glance at Skylar, Sarah sauntered back downstairs at a brisk pace and out the front door where the black Topkick sat quiet and unmoving, keeping up with the ruse of an ordinary truck.

She barely had to touch the passenger side door before it opened automatically and Ironhide's holoform appeared in the driver's seat. Sarah almost thought to scold the bot before she realized even if Skylar had seen that, she wouldn't be paying close enough attention to question it. It was the only way she could talk to him and remain mostly inconspicuous under their current circumstances.

Ironhide reached out his hands, offering to take Annabelle from her while she climbed inside. As soon as she was settled down the door closed behind her and her daughter was hastily deposited back into her lap.

Sarah looked at the holoform questioningly, to which he simply raised a scarred brow at her, silently asking what it was she wanted. In answer all Sarah had to do was incline her head towards the house.

Ironhide followed her gaze. "You're worried." He concluded.

"It's been five days." She realized she was starting to sound almost as weary as Skylar looked. "She hasn't eaten anything and she's starting to look like an actual zombie. Hasn't she done anything at all?"

"Her actions are minimal, the same basic pattern every day. Long intervals between restroom breaks and drinking small amounts of water. She lays on her berth sometimes, but she doesn't appear to be recharging much."

"This can't go on forever. I already feel it's gone on too long." It was making Sarah extremely anxious. She didn't know how much longer she could wait before immediate intervention was needed.

"Wouldn't she simply eat once she becomes hungry enough?" Ironhide asked, confused.

"You'd think so." Sarah frowned deeply. "But she's gotta be on the verge of starving by now. It would have started hurting long ago, but if that's not enough to make her eat something then we've got a bigger problem on our hands."

Ironhide was quiet for a short time, staring out the windshield thoughtfully, bright blue eyes focused in on a specific window of the second floor.

"So what do you propose we do?" A small hint of concern was underlying his gruff voice, but Sarah knew that was all she needed. She had his full attention and support now.

"Well if it continues like this, we'll have no choice but to take her to the hospital." She stated bluntly.

Ironhide snorted in response. "She's not going to like that much, from what I've heard of her."

"No...she's not." Sarah said absentmindedly as she thought about her few available options. She wanted so badly to be able to help her sister-in-law before this went too far. But how could she talk to her when she barely knew her? They'd seen very little of each other and she had no idea what to say that could get through to the stunted young woman. And that was providing she'd even listen, which was a long shot.

"She's in some kind of emotional limbo, correct?"

Sarah arched a brow. "Yes?"

"Why don't I just transform, walk up to the window and wave? I bet that'll get a response out of her."

Sarah barked out a laugh, feeling almost guilty for having done so. "You'll give her a heart attack no less." It did jog her own ideas though.

The girl definitely needed a shock, a wake-up call. Something out of her comfort zone, but obviously something safer than scaring her to death.

Sarah worked through what she'd observed so far, trying to understand Skylar's actions, or lack thereof. The way she was isolating herself was like she was trying to keep a status quo going, preserving the state she was in by blocking out all unwanted distractions.

Then there was the way she acted now versus when Will had brought her home. The difference was so easy to miss, but now Sarah noted that no matter how small, Skylar had made more of an effort to interact while her brother was around.

That emotional barrier needed to go, and Skylar needed the understanding and support of someone who actually knew her in the aftershock. Someone who she could trust to help her deal with the aftereffects.

Sarah knew she didn't posses the right or the trust to shout at Skylar and predict a payday. There was only one person who did now.

Sarah just hoped he wouldn't put up too much of a fight.

She turned to Ironhide. "What's my husband up to?"

Ironhide growled lowly. "He's gone back to base to take care of some tasks that the National Security Advisor 'asked' him to do. Will is going to be busy for a while still." The mech paused and narrowed his eyes at Sarah suspiciously when all she did was hum a bit too casually. "You weren't asking just to know when he's back on vacation, were you."

Sarah stared right back, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"He won't go for it," Ironhide stated flatly. "And you know how much he is against the idea."

"Then help me convince him otherwise."

"And what exactly am I supposed to do? It's not just his own opinion against the matter, he's got military protocols to back him up."

Sarah couldn't accept that. She _needed_ Ironhide's full support if she had any hope of pulling this off. "There has to be a loophole. Just please, help me convince my husband that this is the best option for her."

Ironhide gazed back with scrutiny. She couldn't tell what was going through the mech's mind. Eventually, after a lot of waiting and anxiety he closed his eyes, heaved a sigh and stared back with a serious and determined mindset. "Okay. I may have something that could help."

* * *

Will seethed silently back at his desk on Diego Garcia. The monstrous pile of papers he'd been glaring at was slowly starting to dwindle away towards the 'complete' pile, but at this rate it would take him _ages_ to go through them all. He could see the President's Advisor becoming an ever-present thorn in his backside, and he was already plotting various ways he could someday get back at the man. This wasn't how he'd wanted to be spend this week.

As he was skimmed through pages, the contents of one caught his attention and he rolled his eyes, vowing to remind the Advisor exactly who he was dealing with the next time he saw him. Will flipped through even more pages and realized that was an entire packet.

"Really?" Will sighed in exasperation and picked up his mobile, sending a quick text to one Autobot leader. The sound of a large engine rumbled not far outside the building a few minutes later, followed by a soft knock at the door of the office.

"Come in." Will took a stabalizing breath in an attempt to keep cool as Optimus' holoform strolled into the room. The mech took a took a cursory look around the room in curiosity before settling his ever-patient gaze on the Major.

"What is it you need from me, Major Lennox?"

In answer Will took the stack of papers and flopped them on the other side of the desk. When all he received was a quizzical look he elaborated. "Apparently the White House needs you to sign some kind of treaty papers. And before you ask, I don't know what they were thinking when they decided asking for a signature from an alien was a good idea."

Optimus picked up the papers and examined them carefully with every flip-through. "A data pad would have been far more convenient for handling purposes, but this method will suffice."

"They're just lucky you have the holoforms for stuff like this." Will gestured to the chair at the front of his desk. "You can fill them out here if you have the time right now."

Optimus settled down easily in the chair, accepting the pen Will offered him. "Attempting to recruit a fellow 'office buddy' I see." He jested lightly.

"Well, it does get a quite boring and lonely in here at times. I prefer being outside, running around base overseeing NEST's training and operations, talking to the other soldiers." And how much he longed to do just that right now. He was a very social man, and being cooped up in this small room was driving him up the wall.

"I do admit as a Prime the political affairs are arduous and exhausting, even tedious at times." Will chuckled at the pointed look the mech gave the pile of documents before them. "Still, they are necessary to keep the peace and ensure everyone is doing their part." Will watched in amusement as Optimus scrawled an improvised signature across one of the papers. "I agree it is far more enjoyable to work with my Autobots when I get the opportunity."

"Speaking of Autobots," Will started, ignoring his papers for now in favour of their conversation. "How is that new boy of yours doing?"

Optimus' expression grew troubled almost instantly, and Will cringed internally for having to ask. He should have known, but one could hope couldn't they? "He's quite well physically, but the young mech's spark is hurting. He's been resistant to any form of consoling, and has remained quite ill tempered and withdrawn."

Will felt a pang of sympathy for the new Autobot. He'd only seen the bot briefly since he'd arrived back on base, but the young mech had looked downright miserable. "Is there anything at all we can do?"

Optimus shook his head sadly. "All we can do is pray that things turn out our way for once, and that he can somehow get himself together in the meantime. But I'm afraid that he'll be off the active duty roster for the foreseeable future."

The two fell into silence apart from the soft rustling of paper and scratching of pens as Will tried to think of something to say, some way to help. He came up short. It still boggled his mind at what the Prime and Ratchet had told him. The things their race could do, the connections they had with one another. He could not help with this, but he kept his fingers crossed that something would work out regardless.

Both their gazes were drawn away from their work when Will's cell started ringing. Certain tones had been set to specific callers, so he knew who was calling without even having to check the caller ID.

He snatched it up off his desk immediately, looking over at Optimus in alarm. "It's Ironhide. Has something happened?"

"I received no distress signal." Optimus sat up straighter, alert as Will hit the talk button.

"Is everything okay, buddy?"

A snort on the other end mocked him. "Don't get your gears tangled Lennox. Not every call signals a Con attack." Ironhide paused as another person cleared their throat expectantly. "Your wife wishes to speak with you."

Will had to restrain himself from laughing at the Prime who was currently attempting to leave the room silently to give them privacy. He waving him back and gesturing for him to relax.

"Okay honey, what's wrong?" Came his automatic response. His wife didn't contact him this way often, and it caught his attention almost as much as a Decepticon attack.

"Well... I have a slight favour to ask you." Sarah started carefully. Will's eyes widened as a particular sense of doom settled over him. His wife could play him like a fiddle, and she knew it. He wondered what could be so important that she'd ask for when he was this far away from home. "It's about Skylar."

His body went rigid. This wasn't going to be good news. "How has she been?"

"Well, to start with, she's even more distant and detached than she was when she first came here. She doesn't talk much, barely moves. According to Ironhide she barely even sleeps, and she hasn't eaten anything at all."

Silence fell over the line as Will digested this latest metaphorical bombshell.

"At all?"

"Nothing as far as I've seen." Sarah replied honestly.

This was going to be a problem. How long had it been since he'd left, five days maybe? "But she's drinking water right?"

"A little bit here and there. It's not much, but it's something."

Will started biting the inside of his cheek. "Have you tried forcing her to eat?"

"Will, it doesn't work that way." Sarah reprimanded him gently. "I can only try to reason with her, but it's like talking to a ghost. She won't so much as look at anything I give her, and I've even seen her wrinkle her nose in disgust when I put the plate near her." She gave a nervous chuckle that sounded suspiciously insecure. "My cooking can't be that bad, can it?"

Will planted his face into his palm. "No honey, your cooking's amazing."

"I really need your help on this Will, before I have to send her to the hospital." Sarah begged him.

"I want to help, you have no idea, but there's just not much I can do about it right now." Will sighed, frustrated. "I'm piled high in paperwork. I have to get it done before a certain deadline and send it in before I can do anything else."

"I'm not asking for you to drop everything and come here." Sarah fell silent for a moment as Will waited in confusion for her to continue. "I'm asking for you to grant her permission to come there..."

Will's mind came screeching to a halt, then rushed to try fully processing her request and the full impact of all the problems it could cause. "... _What?_ "

"I know it's a lot to ask," Sarah rushed to explain. "But I think this could really help her."

" _Absolutely not_." Will refrained from yelling, but it was hard to hide the amount of outrage as he vehemently refused. He'd made up his mind a long time ago, and there was just no way he could let this happen.

"Why not?" Sarah challenged him, standing firm and no doubt ready to argue every one of his points.

That wouldn't stop him from trying though. "It's too risky. This is a top secret military base for a reason, Sarah. We aren't allowed to give any civilians access."

"Sam and Mikeala are allowed." Sarah pointed out.

"They have special privileges. Sam needs to stay with his guardian when he comes in and they both earned rights after what happened in Mission City."

"You are in charge of that base." Sarah pleaded. "You can give those privileges to those you deem worthy." Will tried to cut in and explain that it still wasn't technically proper, but Ironhide intervened.

"Major Lennox, if you may recall the protocols we have for screening civilians in the event they witness an attack firsthand."

Will proceeded carefully, unsure of what Ironhide was getting at. "What about them?"

"If a civilian witnesses an attack they are required to sign a waiver, a nondisclosure agreement confirming their willingness to remain silent about the incident. We are also granted the right to take a person into custody until they sign that waiver."

"So, what... I'm supposed to arrest my sister or something?" He questioned the mech incredulously, brow arched high.

Ironhide huffed down the line. "I'm saying if a superior where to come on base and accuse you of abusing protocol, you can use what I just told you as a valid counter. As long as she does not claim to know the exact location of the base there is no possible reason for you to get into trouble over having her there."

"I recommend you consider this carefully Major Lennox." Optimus joined in, as he could hear everything that was going on just fine. Will had almost forgotten the Prime was even there. "It's clear your sister has faced some very serious trauma, and she will not get better on her own. I am in accordance with the idea of bringing her on to the base, and I'm sure Ratchet will want to have a look at her and offer some solutions. I can ask my Autobots to remain inconspicuous and to not transform out in the open while she remains here, if that is your wish."

"You too?" Will groaned as Optimus appeared only mildly apologetic. Literally everyone was against him at this point.

Sarah joined back in on the hounding. "I know you're just trying to protect her Will, but she doesn't need protecting right now. She needs help. She needs her brother." She finished softly.

Will bowed his head and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. He knew she was right, but him and his sister had spent so little time together over the last several years. Would he be enough to bring her out of the darkness? Did they still have the close bond they had so many years ago?

"What makes you think I can get through to her?" Will asked, sounding very tired and close to defeat.

Sarah laughed like that was the most ridiculous question in the world. "You two may have strayed over the years, but I can still see she trusts and idolizes you above all else. She _will_ go that extra mile and she will try when you're with her. If anyone knows how to get her past this the right way it's going to be you."

Will fidgeted in his seat. This wasn't going to be an easy matter. In fact, it had the potential to go very wrong very quickly, but he could see he really didn't have another choice. Sending her back to a hospital just wouldn't solve the real problem. He gave a short growl, raking his hand through his hair, and grudgingly consented.

"Okay, fine. I'll contact the closest NEST base to your location and let them know to expect Ironhide and keep a plane on standby. Ironhide, you can use your holoform, but just as a cover to get you and her there. Make up any excuse you want, but once the loading process is done, deactivate your holoform. I'll be at the airstrip when you land to do the rest of the driving." Now he addressed his wife. "Sarah, you should have her ready to travel within twelve hours. Let me know if she gives you any trouble on coming here."

"Yes sir." Sarah replied a little to cheerily for his taste at the moment. It may of been necessary, but he still felt bitterly defeated. "I'll go tell her now."

"Okay, talk to you later honey. Ironhide, text me when you have the landing time."

"Of course, Major Lennox." With that the mech ended the call.

Will didn't say anything for a moment, tapping his fingers against the desk in agitation. He'd really let himself get suckered into that one.

Finally he noticed Optimus staring at him in bemusement and met his gaze.

"What?"

"You needn't worry so much, Lennox. Everything will work out."

"You're positive you can make sure everyone here hides their presence well enough? Even the new guy?" That was Will's greatest worry at the moment. Skylar had still remained evasive about her encounter. Until she told the truth they couldn't let her see them as they were.

"I will give a stern lecture if I must," Optimus smiled almost slyly, prompting Will to smirk. "But I'm sure most of them will have no problem complying." The Autobot leader leaned forward against the desk, meeting his eyes with a deep amount of concern. "The question we should all be asking is; What is it you are going to do when she arrives?"

Yes...that was a good question indeed.

* * *

Night was starting to fall once again when I sensed someone enter the room. Sarah, no doubt. I expected her to simply put down a plate of food and leave, but instead she kneeled down beside me and started saying something.

It was funny, this numb state. Most of the time I didn't even have to try blocking her out, it simply happened automatically. However, it also included a kind of selective hearing, and certain words and phrases stood out more than others. My mind caught onto one just now.

"You'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

What.

I turned to her stupefied and repeated the thought out loud.

"Will has granted you permission to come to his base." She repeated patiently. "You'll be going by plane. Someone's coming by tomorrow to pick you and his truck up. You should try and get some rest."

She got up and proceeded to walk out the room. Before she left too far for my weak voice to carry I decided to speak up.

"Why?" I twisted my stiff neck around to look at her with dull eyes. "I see no benefit to being shipped partway across the world yet again."

"I don't know if you see it or not, but it's better for you to be there where so many people can help you."

"I don't need help with anything."

"Yes you do." She stated bluntly. "And don't even think about fighting against it, because you won't find anyone taking no for an answer."

I grunted in dismissal. I knew I had no hope of fighting with how sore and tired my body had become. It would be easier just to go with it. Nothing would change. I could still find somewhere quiet to take sanctuary at this base of Will's.

Sarah left me alone for the rest of the night. I took back to staring out the window as the sky went completely black. Eventually the house followed suite as both Sarah and her daughter went to bed.

I had not idea what time it was when I decided it might be a good idea to move around a bit. There was no real desire to do so, but logically I knew that if the kinks in my currently underused muscles were not worked out now, it would create tons of agony and trouble trying to move around tomorrow morning.

First I attempted to stand up from the wooden chair.

 _Ouch._

In hindsight maybe sitting like a statue all day hadn't been the best option. The pain wasn't intolerable, but I'd rather do without it. I paced around the room in small jolting steps till eventually the sharp pain in my joints eased off, leaving nothing but a mild steady ache behind.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, it was a lot later than I originally thought. My gaze drifted over to the bed. There was no way I was going to be getting any sleep tonight, especially at this time. I needed a way to get rid of the rest of the body lag and wake me up a bit more. The breeze coming through the open window provided me with a solution.

Maybe some fresh air was in order.

There was a large stack of hay at the side of the house, very close to the overhang. I squeezed out the window very carefully, minding my step slowly and making my way over to the bale. After a moments deliberation I launched myself onto it, landing on my stomach and knocking the breath out of me. I lay there a minute to regain it before I continued the rest of my way down onto the ground.

There was very few lights on in the house, so the yard was free of artificial light. Instead the moon and plethora of stars provided the means for me to see my way around while wandering aimlessly around the front lawn.

The cool air was just the kick my body needed to shake off some of the exhaustion, but eventually it came to the point where I needed to sit down somewhere and take a break. I considered just flopping down on the cold hard ground, but instead my eyes were drawn to the truck sitting in the drive, standing out even blacker than the night itself. I walked over to it, sitting on the chrome side step and leaning against the frame.

I promptly leaned forward when the truck felt unnaturally warm against my back... Hm, well it was black paint, so it was entirely possible it could absorb and retain the daytime heat a lot longer than usual. Writing it off as exactly that, I relaxed against it again and leaned my head back to stare up at the sky.

Just because I was numb to most emotions didn't mean I couldn't feel at all. Now was one of those times when once again something tried to stir deep down, so far out of my grasp I almost wasn't aware of it's presence.

Some part of me still had enough sense to dread what the morning would bring.

* * *

 _So, there's a lot of hints about things to come in the next chapters. I'd be very interested in hearing what you all have picked out so far since I absolutely love reader feedback. If you're looking at this story like a TV season, the first five chapters basically encompassed episode one. This was just a very small section of what's to come, and I'm really looking forward to writing it all._

 _Which brings me up to what I wanted to talk to you about. Before I had chapters in reserve that could be edited or revised within a week. It's been a crazy few months for me, so I haven't had a lot of time on my hands. Now I do have the time, but no more chapters left in reserve. This means the next update will likely be a few weeks away while I tear into my writing like a ravenous beast and try to complete maybe two-three updates worth. I'm a slow writer and a very compulsive editor, so it will be a bit hard, but not impossible. I hope you all can bear with me in the meantime._

 _Now that that serious talk is out of the way, reviews!_

 **Graceful-But-Forgetful-Writer:** I'm glad you see th stubbornness in my OC! It's a great quality to have sometimes, but as you can see when utilized improperly can be a huge problem XD

 **emzydatffan:** Thanks! Great perspective and reasoning!

 **RoboDork97:** I made someone cry... Achievement! LOL JK but seriously it makes me so happy. It's not easy for a writer to craft a story that provokes a strong emotional response sometimes, but I know from experience what you mean when you say it's amazing :) ... And I will admit I did shed a few tears while writing a certain scene in that chapter. Never any in shame in crying!

 **CurlyBookWriter94:** You know it, I know it, they know it. Ironhide is just one grumpy old teddy bear XD Don't worry about Sky too much, It's always darkest before the dawn :)

 **LittleManY2K:** I'm happy you think so, and thanks for continuing to review! :)

 **Lord Nitro:** You may be right. I can't tell you whether you are or not, but I can say you'll find out soon!

 **xVentressx:** Couldn't help but put in a small response here. Once again, thank you for the valuable feedback! I hope to see more in the future ;)

 **CastielLunaWinchester:** Don't fret, you'll know soon anyways :) I hope she feels better too, that would be horrible is she just stayed in that state XD

 **FirstSrike1777:** Thank you! Yeah I've been trying to comb through the previous chapters and search out a few mistakes myself. Honestly, I'm surprised those errors still get past me, seeing as I'm a raging perfectionist :D Weirdly enough I seem to spot the mistakes better when looking on the mobile version of the site. Small errors are fine, but if it's anything more serious don't hesitate to tell me, through review or PM, whichever works. LOL Yeah I don't know why I picked Elizabeth, I supposed it just sounded good. If the first name was that same too I'd really be tripping out right now XD

 **Bee4ever:** It's no problem! Thank you for reviewing. Yeah the problems the site had were horrible, pretty sure my story lost a weeks worth of viewer stats, but oh well... just happy they fixed it now.

 **Aaccess:** Thank you! Glad I could immerse you into the story like that, it's the best complement a writer could get. I hope I can continue to create the same effect :)

* * *

 **Date posted: September 12th, 2015**


	6. Chapter 6: The Lone Island

_I apologize to all my readers that this update took so long. I offer no excuse. I hope everyone enjoys this even though it's shorter, and please consider this just an intro of what is to come on Diego Garcia._

 _A note, this is mostly from Skylar's point of view and the rest of the chapters will focus into her first person perspective for quite a while from now on, at least till another person's is needed. Also, it may be helpful to point out that although Skylar is acting certain ways in this chapter, she's still not really feeling any of the emotions that come with it._

 _Once again, thank you so much to all my readers and reviewers. I won't be responding to reviews this time around so I can get to releasing this quicker... But I can see you all have some very interesting assumptions to what is going to happen in the future... I'll just keep ya'll guessing ;)_

* * *

 **~Chapter Six~**

 **The Lone Island**

* * *

 _Why am I here?_

I must have asked myself that question several times over since the plane had landed, which had only been roughly a few minutes ago. I was still sitting in the cab of the Topkick, which I had stayed in most of the flight, only now Will was here as well. He'd been waiting from the moment the plane arrived, and he was currently driving us away from the airstrip.

I'd made plans to try and pay attention to Will if only to appease him, but so far he hadn't said a whole lot... at least as far as I noticed. My sense of awareness wasn't the best these days.

I was just now seeing my new surroundings properly for the first time. It was certainly somewhere tropical. Excluding the areas covered with tarmac, a good portion of the island consisted of long stretches of beach-line and sandy dunes, while other sections appeared completely dominated by thick forests of palm trees, ferns and shrubs of varying species.

Some people would probably call this a paradise. It was definitely pretty, no argument there. But pretty wasn't what I needed.

Everything was too bright, blindingly so. The vividness was a stark contrast to the numbness my body still harboured. I would much rather have a dark corner in its place. I was already getting the impression that this island would make it more difficult to remain fully detached.

I quite unexpectedly found my breath knocked out of me as the seatbelt locked around my chest, preventing my body from being flung forward as the truck came sliding to a halt. I coughed a bit, simultaneously trying to catch my breath and look around for what could have caused Will to break so suddenly.

A flash of sliver blazed past the front end of the truck from the left side. My eyes flicked to the right in anticipation of where the object would end up, but even then the sight still didn't make much sense.

It was a sports car. One that I had never seen before, and that was saying something given my area of expertise. It's metallic silver frame was entirely unfamiliar. The snout of the car was long, with defined curves on either side of the hood which adorned the strangely shaped headlights. The back end was high set with boxy, sharp edges and bright red taillights. A concept perhaps? I couldn't find an emblem identifying the manufacturer, but it was anyone's guess.

The car raced across the dunes quickly and with ease headed to who knows where, eventually disappearing farther down the beach line till it was completely out of sight.

I glanced over at Will to see him scowling in the same direction, not the least bit pleased. When he noticed my staring he huffed an agitated sigh, shook his head and continued on driving. No doubt the owner was going to get a huge lecture later. Even the truck seemed to be trembling with insult.

Will slowed the vehicle to a crawl as a massive sealed hanger came into view up ahead.

"You see that area?" He pointed towards the hanger. "That's top secret, so I need you to stay away from there. Do not enter it under any circumstances. We clear?"

I hummed dully, but backtracked quickly when Will gave me a look, decidedly unimpressed. "Yes, I got it. Off limits." Turns out it was a good thing I'd decided to pay attention, considering his slightly foul mood.

"Good." Satisfied, he continued on driving until we reached built up area on the right. I was no expert in these matters, but to hazard a guess it was the soldier's barracks. The cluster of buildings were no more than a story high, and quite plain with dark grey siding and small windows. There was one larger building to the left of the complex with large glass planes dominating most of the outside walls. I had no idea what it was for, but I didn't really care to find out in the end. The only thing that was important to me was a room and some much needed isolation.

Will put the truck into park at the front of the cluster, confirming my suspicions and that this was in fact the barrack. He motioned for me to get out. While doing so however, I discovered a small issue on the way down as my balance tipped at an awkward angle. I quickly caught the edge of the door before my face met the pavement. Will must have noticed and figured out what was going on as well. I could hear him snickering from the other side.

It already seemed like things were stacking up against me. As if this place wasn't bad enough, now my balance would be off for a few days as well. It happened sometimes after long flights, something to do with my ears apparently. I'd be walking completely fine one second, and the next I would find my world tilted while I stumbled around like a drunken person.

Will received a glare in an attempt to shut down his amusement. "Not funny." I deadpanned.

It wasn't working.

Will hoisted my luggage over his shoulder and strolled casually towards the front of the complex, seemingly in a better mood now. I followed after him briskly, wanting nothing more than to get indoors and away from all this sunlight. I was already squinting and it was beginning to strain my eyes.

A thought crossed my mind as we walked inside that made me uneasy enough to actually bother asking. "Will I have to share a room with some of the soldiers?"

"No." Will glanced over his shoulder. "There's several rooms that aren't occupied. You'll get one of them to yourself. Figured you'd be uncomfortable sharing."

That was an understatement. It would defeat the purpose of my quest for solitude.

The inside of the building wasn't like those old barracks shown in most movies, where everyone was just squeezed into one room with rows of bunk beds and no privacy. There was one large hallway leading straight from the front doors to the back of the building. Then there were smaller hallways branching off on both sides that lead to individual rooms. All of them had their doors closed currently.

Will led me through the barracks, which was strangely devoid of people, and turned down a hallway on the right side near the back of the building. He stopped at one of the doors at the end of the hall and opened it.

It was a sizable room that actually did contain six bunk beds lining the walls, although they were all unused. This one room could probably house an entire squad easily. Other than the beds and some dressers, it was fairly empty and free of decoration. Will dropped the bags in the middle of the floor and took a cursory look around.

"I know it's not very exciting, but in the end it's just for the nighttime anyways." He glanced over my way. I simply nodded, not paying one hundred percent attention as I eyed the beds instead.

"Alright. Well, I leave you to unpack. I've gotta go take care of a few things. I'll be back soon."

"'Kay." I mumbled absently as Will left the room, closing the door behind him. Ignoring his suggestion to unpack, I walked past the bags to the nearest bed and flopped down on the beige sheets, succumbing to the heavy weight of exhaustion.

Other than the two windows on the opposite wall, which both had their curtains drawn, the area was comfortably dim. I began to work towards easing my mind back into the blank state it had maintained for most of the week, but the harder I tried, the more I realized it wasn't meant to be. Despite the drain on my energy and the progressive soreness of all my limbs, my mind simply refused to shut off completely.

I was hoping there'd still be some peace to be had in this place. Of course I would still had to pay attention when Will was around, for the sole reason that if I didn't then he was likely to go off on me. It didn't entirely escape my notice of why I'd been forced to come here, and his temperament was more serious now than I'd seen in a long time. Testing it was not on my agenda any time soon, not if it could be avoided.

In the meantime maybe I'd find some peace soon. It was possible it might just take a while longer to wind down fully from the shock my body was going through at its new surroundings. All I needed was a lengthy time of silence...

Without warning the door swung back open and Will popped his head around the frame. "Come on."

"...Where?" I responded slowly.

"The cafeteria. It's technically dinner time here, and I want you to meet the boys."

Correction. There would be no peace here.

* * *

The cafeteria was packed... and loud. _Very loud._

To me it was nothing but a sea of chaos. Soldiers of both genders and all different ethnicity's lined the tables talking, laughing, seemingly without a care in the world. They didn't so much as look up at my new and unusual presence, and if anyone did it was quickly averted in respect once they noticed Will by my side. They didn't even complain when I stumbled and tripped a few times due to the reoccurring balance issues.

I was beginning to feel an edge of unease that could only be described as claustrophobia.

So here I was, stiff as a board, surrounded by people I didn't know. Well, there was one other person. My brother's friend Epps was present, as upbeat as ever and trying his very best to spread the mood. He seemed successful with the rest of the team at the very least, who's names I was already struggling to remember as they sat in a close huddle around the table. But that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was the food. This entire place reeked of it for obvious reasons. So many scents, blended together so that not a single source could be identified from the mixture.

It was repulsive, and all my body wanted to do was throw up in violent protest. I could already feel the sting of bile as it slowly crawled it's way up my throat before I swallowed, momentarily stalling it's ascent. Even drinking water had only seemed to agitate the process further, making it worse.

I looking down at the tray in front of me in visible disgust, knowing what would happen if I tried even one small bite. From everyone else's perspective it probably didn't seem that bad. The food wasn't five star but it was still better than what I had expected from a military base.

Still, my stomach was profusely repeating _fuck no_.

Which was why even though I was currently under the glare of my highly displeased brother, I refused to submit.

Will reached out and pushed the tray of roast beef and mash closer to me in a not-so-subtle hint. "You need to eat something."

I averted my eyes, picking a random spot across the cafeteria to focus on. "I'm not hungry."

He quirked a brow at me. "Well you should be. You haven't had a scrap of anything in about a week."

I turned to him and imitated his expression. "Trust me, I'm really not."

"Are you crazy?" Epps piped up in exaggerating disbelief. "Come on Sky, this stuff is amazing! You really should try some."

I glanced down at the tray, mocking an expression of doubt as I looked back over at him. "I guess someone's cooking back home must be really horrible."

There was a chorus of 'ohs' around the table, and I'm pretty sure I caught one of them whispering, "she burned you". I think his name was Jason... or had it been Josh? Screw it, I didn't give a damn anyways.

Epps appeared caught off guard at the comeback, but then he simply shrugged it off as if it were no big deal. "No, she's right. My wife's cooking sucks." He gently elbowed his nearest comrade in the arm. "Good thing that's not why I married her." His suggestive tone had him receiving props from most of the team, to which my revulsion seemed to double in tandem.

He didn't even seem like the married type, but I'd file that information away for later. Assuming my currently fragile memory didn't fail me.

Will just shook his head at the guys and turned to stare at me critically. "You know if you don't eat now, that's all you'll be getting till tomorrow morning."

"I'm aware." I responded coolly.

"Then you'll starve."

"That's okay."

He was at least temporarily stunned by my flippant manner before the anger made an appearance. He gained a determined set to his eyes, and I swear I could sense some kind of parental switch being flipped as a result.

"Okay. You're not leaving this table until you eat."

Called it. 'Dad mode' was activated. But he didn't seem to realize two could play that game.

I leaned back into my chair to relax for what I imagined would be a long wait. "That's alright. I have nowhere to be."

Now he really was speechless. Took him a while to recover, and to his credit he ignored the amused stares and comments of his teammates, who all seemed to think there was something hilarious about the situation.

Like I expected he would, he did the same thing I had, sitting back and playing the waiting game with an unmovable gaze because he was too stubborn and persistent to know that he was entering a losing battle.

Time passed as of no consequence, as did dinner. People started to clear out and return back to duty, and after much reluctance Will's teammates followed, before wishing him luck of course.

Eventually the entire building became relatively quiet. An undetermined amount of time passed, brown eyes stayed locked with blue, and still neither of us moved.

We were two stalwart forces, both sides equal in strength and neither one able to break down the other.

After a while still, this stare-off started to seem so ridiculous that I was willing to risk leaving and potentially call on the wrath of a verbal assault from my brother. No anger or irritation would be in danger of surfacing from my end, because in the greater scale of things, I really didn't care.

Then I realized as I enacted that exact plan that he didn't need to be stronger than me. Because the moment I stood up, something in my stomach twisted the wrong way and I was bolting towards the restroom before I even fully realized what was happening.

I was already breaking myself.

The swinging door screeched on its hinges and footsteps fell on cold tile as someone entered the restroom after me, kneeling beside me to hold back my hair as I heaved into the toilet, even though nothing was really coming out. It mostly just consisted of a lot of agony, like a hot dagger was being driven repeatedly through my midsection. It was torture.

It took several long moments, but when the episode finally passed, my heart beating a million miles a minute and skin cold and clammy, Will patted me on the shoulder, gaining my attention. There was pity in his eyes.

"Come on, you need to see a medic."

I had no strength to argue, even though I disagreed entirely. Will helped me up and guided me with a steady hand around my waist while my own arm was slung over his shoulder for support. He lead me outside at my own pace, and gradually we made it across the tarmac till we approached another building that was quite close to the so-called top secret hanger.

Will reached out with his other hand and shoved the door open. I stumbled past the threshold and he helped me over to a soft cushioned chair in the waiting area. I looked at him strangely when he pulled his phone out and began texting, but the reason for it became known when the sound of a large vehicle appeared out front before a very familiar face came walking in.

"Ratchet." Will nodded to the medic respectfully. The man nodded back absently, but his main focus was me. With only a single glance and a critical gaze that served to mentally unnerve, he motioned us both towards the closest medical room.

Dragging my feel and beginning to feel light headed, I sank down heavily on the wax covered bed as the medic picked out various instruments for what appeared to be a standard examination. He started by taking my blood pressure, to which I squirmed in discomfort as the sleeve held a death grip on my upper arm so that even I could feel the pulse in it. Next he did the routine eye-ear-throat exam which I cooperated with minimal enthusiasm. Lastly he had me stand on a scale to measure my weight.

All of this was done with a steady air of disapproval, like he already knew what was going on and was not happy with it in the least, and even less happier with me. It struck me as a bit strange that he hadn't even asked me any questions yet... Unless Will had already given him the full story?

All the while my brother leaned against the opposite wall, completely silent. His eyes tracked the medic carefully during the exam, but didn't seem actually interested in the results Ratchet was getting.

When the medic was done he turned his gaze to Will expectantly, as if he were asking for permission on something. Will simply nodded and Ratchet settled down in front of me with that same note of disapproval.

My instincts screamed a serious discussion was about to occur, so I prepared myself by finding a sense of calmness and holding onto it with a steady albeit loose grasp, thanks to my current condition. I decided to be the one to start the conversation, with a note of cynical humour to help lighten the mood.

"Break it to me straight. Am I going to live?" I said with false dramatic flare.

Ratchet narrowed his eyes in response. Okay, I could see that wasn't going to work in my favour.

"For a while perhaps, unless you continue your current lifestyle of course. The episode you had was no indication of any deeper health issues, but it will likely happen again. Major Lennox has informed me you haven't been accepting any nourishment?"

Instead of answering his question, which was more of a confirmation and a statement anyways, I turned to Will. "Of course he has." I drawled, mimicking his expression of disappointment. My brother wasn't phased.

Ratchet pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "I'm going to be blunt, Miss Lennox. Your blood pressure is quite low, and you've lost approximately fifteen pounds since your last recorded weight check at Aspen Valley. If you continue down this course the effects could become catastrophic."

Why did everyone speak of it as if I wasn't aware? "I haven't been hungry."

"So you've said." He responded dryly. "The fact of the matter is that after the first three days without food the human body begins to accept the matter and find other ways of sustaining itself. Have you been experiencing any soreness or aching?"

I decided to humour him with a response. "I suppose my arms and legs have been aching for a while."

"That's because your body is now tapping into any stores of glucose it can find, which happen to include your muscles. The muscular atrophy has already begun to set in. Your body is literally cannibalizing itself."

"Good for it." A hint of genuine sarcasm wormed it's way to the surface, and it was immediately apparent in my voice.

"This isn't funny, Skylar." Will warned, frowning.

"I'm not saying it's funny. I just don't give a damn."

"You should. You could die if you keep this up. And let me tell you something; it won't be an easy death."

"Dying rarely is." I stated in a chipped manner.

Ratchet snorted, causing both my brother and I to peer at him strangely. "Whether this is some poorly thought out suicide attempt or not, do you honestly believe anyone is going to let it go that far? There are procedures in place for patients who remain uncooperative. Would you like me to outline them for you?"

"I'd prefer you didn't." I turned towards a random wall in a blatant display of ignorance, but that didn't deter him.

"I can keep you isolated in one of the patient rooms and put you on an IV drip. I recall how much you hate those. Of course then there's other more uncomfortable options available, such as installing a feeding tube."

The though wasn't pleasant, but I called his bluff. "You wouldn't dare. I'm aware enough to know that feeding tubes are only used on patients under more extreme circumstances than I."

"First, I can classify this as an extreme circumstance as Chief Medical Officer of this base, and second... Yes, I would."

He was surely trying to intimidate me, to scare me into doing as told, but when I looked over at him I didn't detect an ounce of deceit. He was being dead serious.

A flicker of real emotion made its presence known, and though I tried fighting against it and remain calm during the conversation – or rather argument – it refused to be extinguished.

A low growl managed to escape during the internal struggle. Both men heard it and focused on me with interest and anticipation, no doubt waiting for some big breakthrough. I could _not_ give them that satisfaction.

I may have seemed a bit slow and unfocused as of late due to the lack of nutrition and proper sleep, but I was still a smart person regardless. They had me backed into a corner I had no way of talking myself out of. It would be a waste of breath to even try, as it would get me nowhere.

With no backup plans and faltering patience, I did the only thing I could to preserve what I had maintained until this moment. I stood up, turned my back on them and walked out the door.

I had to remove myself from the situation before this small spark of rage could grow and consume me from within.

* * *

Will watched Skylar abruptly exit the medical office, utterly shocked that she'd had the nerve to storm off like that. But the more he thought about it, the more he began to realize what it could mean; progress. Why would she leave?... unless she was afraid she would lose control.

"I wish you would stop preventing me from preforming my duty."

Will turned to the holoform, who had a scowl reserved just for him at the moment. He understood Ratchet's point. It killed him inside to see her like this too, if for slightly different reasons. To the CMO, Skylar was a patient he didn't want to see suffer. To himself, she was family.

However, the Major believed in a good dose of tough love sometimes, and he also believed something of this situation could be moulded to their advantage. Now he was beginning to see it come to reality, only he hadn't expected it would happen this soon.

"I know you've wanted to administer her since she set foot on the base, but I'm asking you to wait." He turned fully towards the mech, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at the direction Skylar had barged off to. "Didn't you see her just now?"

"I did." Ratchet admitted reluctantly. "Truthfully, I expected for her to have a breakdown right in this office. All my scanners were pointing to an emotional overload."

"Think about it." Will attempting to explain his own point of view. "She's feeling like shit right now. She's not having anything the way she has the past week. I've been dragging her around and getting her to interact, something I know she doesn't want to do right now. Sooner or later all of it's going to be too much, and she's going to react to it."

"And exactly how soon do you expect?" The medic asked dubiously.

"Well, how long do you think?"

"Trustfully, I've not a clue. There's no way to estimate emotional progress in this situation, especially with her erratic and stubborn behaviour."

"Trust me. She's about to break, and I'm going to be there when she does. It's a harsh way to go about things and a bit messy, but it needs to happen. There's still time."

"Yes, we have so much of that already." The medic's sarcasm was heavy. He sighed in frustration and stood up, walking over to stand in front of the Major and meet his gaze directly. The holoform's vivid eyes held a strong sense of determination and even defiance.

"Lennox, if you do not let me tend to her I will override yours and even Prime's orders in the interest of a patient. I have been scanning her at long distance even before this and her body is suffering a lot of stress from many different variables already. The longer we wait, the harder her recovery process will be."

Will wasn't at all bothered by the undeniable challenge. He would be a fool if he were to ignore or doubt the CMO's warnings. He knew they'd have to act soon, but intuition was telling him she was so close to a breakthrough already. He'd just have to push a bit harder...

He decided to settle on a compromise with the Autobot medic.

"Give me one more day."

* * *

 _There you have it, the introduction to Skylar's arrival at Diego Garcia. Will's got some questionable plans in place, Ratchet's getting fed up, and Skylar's being... well, a twenty year old brat I guess. I know there's some big gaps in some important details, like the introduction to the soldiers. However, I did that because this is from Skylar's point of view and we all know she isn't paying a lot of attention to certain things. When she gets back on track, she'll start to properly recognize and learn about everyone, which means you'll all get to learn along with her._

 _Next chapter should come soon, and I had a really fun time writing a specific scene. You all got a surprise coming next time, just a fair warning._

* * *

 **Date posted: September 30th, 2015**


	7. Chapter 7: Wake Me Up

_Here's the next update. I know they are pretty far apart for the moment and I apologize for that, but I'm going to continue those update spans for a while so I have enough in reserve to submit some updates for next month, when I intend to work less on this story in order to participate in NaNoWriMo._

 _For those of you wondering what that is, it's a writers contest that happens every November. You have the entire month to write a 50k novel. You reach that goal before the deadline, you win. It isn't really a contest about prizes, but rather for the achievement of finishing it. I consider it a good exercise to promoting writing more frequently and also getting things down faster._

 _I'm very excited about this chapter and next, and I hope you all feel similarly. Now, enough with my yapping. Onwards and downwards you go!_

* * *

 **~Chapter Seven~**

 **Wake Me Up**

* * *

"Quit looking." Will hid the mystery paperwork from view with a mildly playful scowl.

I arched a brow at him in question. It was his own fault I was even here.

We were currently in his office, where he was working on some governments contracts – or so he told me – that were due to be sent out soon. Instead of letting me stay in my room and out of everyone's way, my brother had decided it was a good idea to drag me all the way here, just to sit around in this equally uninspiring room. Which of course led him to be secretive any time my eyes decided to wander to his side of the desk. I didn't see the point in all this.

"You could have left me behind," I retorted.

"And leave you alone to mope all day? Yeah, good luck with that one," Will returned sarcastically, shaking his head. He started digging through one of his desk drawers and conjured up some blank sheets of paper and a pencil. For some unknown reason he shoved them in my direction.

"And what am I supposed to do with these?"

"Entertain yourself. I thought you liked sketching sometimes?"

Did I? It felt like such a distant, insignificant memory – much like everything else that used to exist in my old life. My mind could barely make the connections anymore.

I gazed down at the items, a little lost for words. "I guess." Deciding to humour him, I took up the pencil and hesitantly started tracing random lines and shapes aimlessly across the page. Will watched me for a few more seconds before he went back to his own work.

Thanks to my passive-aggressive outburst last night, small whispers of confusion were now worming their way past the barrier as I snuck glances at him without notice. I couldn't do much to stop them for now, only try and prevent them from growing and gaining too strong a hold on me.

The impending outrage that had nearly broke through and jeopardized my emotional barrier yesterday had unsettled me more than I had originally thought. I didn't feel like I was in control anymore. Sure, I'd eventually managed to temper it, the smother the flame... but just barely.

It was only after I had calmed down and cleared my mind that I realized the reaction that walking out could have garnered. So I waited for hours, eyes trained on the door, anticipating it to burst open at any moment to an outraged brother questioning what that had been all about.

He never showed up.

It wasn't till the afternoon, after a long night of lounging and occasionally dozing on the mattress, that Will came to see me. Instead of commenting on last night, he'd put on a cheerful facade and acted as if nothing had happened. He never mentioned it once. As if that weren't strange enough, he hadn't even attempted to pressure me into doing anything other than following him around.

None of this was making sense anymore.

He should have remained angry with me. It was the only logical way to react to my blatant disregard. The sole reason that I could muster the brainpower to come up with was that he had some sort of ulterior motive behind it all. But what exactly was he trying to accomplish?

It wasn't long before I abandoned the notion of figuring out what his angle might be, as it only triggered a headache. Whatever it was would be revealed with time. Instead I decided to focus back on what I had been absentmindedly sketching, having lost focus a while ago.

That had been a mistake. As soon as I glanced down my subconscious started playing tricks on me, and all the random lines I'd drawn came together to form the face of a familiar nightmare.

I breathed in sharply, quickly snatching up the paper, crumpling it and chucking in the trash bin. My sudden actions must have surprised Will, who lifted his head in confusion.

"Ummm... Turned out bad?"

"Yeah." I barely paid him any mind, resting my chin against the desk.

Will sighed in what I could only assume was exasperation, shuffling through his packet of papers with a contemplative expression.

"Well, I think I've had about enough of paperwork for one day. Should be able to finish this by tomorrow anyways. Let's go get a bite to eat."

I tensed in my seat.

My mind instantly reeled at the dilemma it was now facing. I _did not_ want a repeat of last night. I didn't want to go down that road again now that I found an obvious trigger to a bizarre streak of temper. How to avoid said road was the tough question.

My stomach rolled sickeningly at the prospect of being in that cramped cafeteria again. Even thinking about it was revolting to the point of pain. So when Will got up and walked to the door, expecting me to follow, I was busy trying to repress a sizable wave of dread. With no method of escape at the current time, all I could do was obey and follow him outside.

Behind all my inner warring was the faint desire to simply make a run for it and see how far I could get. If I was being reasonable then I could make it a few yards, maximum, before he caught up. Halfway to the building, I hadn't noticed I'd stopped until Will called out to me.

"You coming?" He was standing a few paces ahead, watching me calmly. Beneath that mask though I saw his own tension, like he could read my thoughts' direction.

The realization hit me hard. There was never going to be an easy way to get away from this. With that my simmering emotions snapped shut again, as easily as flicking a switch. My internal struggling silenced and I narrowed my eyes, turning and boldly walking in an entirely different direction. I wasn't even sure where I was heading, but it didn't matter. As long as it was away from here.

"Skylar, what are you doing?" Will's voice pitched an octave as he called after me.

"What does it look like?" I mumbled dryly.

"You can't do that. Get back over here!" he shouted. My ears picked up the steady tapping of boots on asphalt as he began to follow.

"No. I'm done."

The footsteps shuffled to an abrupt halt behind me, followed by a considerable silence, then lead by the sound of running. The next second Will was in front of me, blocking my path. I stared back, completely impassive to his outrage.

"What do you mean, you're done?" His brows creased in disbelief as he stared down at me judgmentally. "You're done trying, done fighting? You have to actually attempt those things before you can say you've quit, Skylar."

"Apparently I don't need to, because I'm doing so right now." I made to stride around him, but in a quick move he had a grip on my upper arm. It didn't hurt much, but it was firm and unyielding. I tried and failed to pull away from it.

"What is this about?" he demanded, frustration straining his voice. "Do you want to fade away, is that what this is?"

"I wouldn't say that." I answered honestly. "It's just that, I really don't care anymore. What are you going to do about that?"

"What are _you_ going to do?" He countered sharply.

"Nothing."

"Well you have to do something soon. You sure as hell can't continue like this. You're catatonic, for Christ's sake! Don't you see what this is doing to you? Have you even looked in a mirror recently?"

"Do I really have to repeat things that have already been stated?" My voice held a note of irritation I nearly felt inclined to share in.

"Right. _You don't care_. But here's the thing; I don't believe you."

I scoffed. "What's not to believe. How much clearer can I make it?"

"Because if you truly didn't care, then you wouldn't have bothered to walk out yesterday."

Well, he was mentioning it now, but it was a weak defence anyways.

"What person would willingly allow themselves to be cut open so they can have a tube shoved into their stomach?" I stated rhetorically. I knew of the method Ratchet had mentioned. There were many different devices to serve the purpose, but the general function of a feeding tube was making a small incision in the stomach and feeding the nutrients directly into it. Though it wasn't too invasive and I had put it rather crudely, the thought was still highly cringe-worthy. I had no desire to go through that. "It's unnecessary."

Will frowned. "It's only necessary if _you_ make it so. And you've made it perfectly clear that you have no intentions of making things better for yourself. What else are we supposed to do?"

"You could leave me alone?" I tried futilely. All I received was a dark look for my efforts, and his hold on my arm tightened.

"That is _never..._ going to happen." For once, the hard edge of conviction in his tone stunned me enough to really, truly _look_ at him for the first time since I had arrived.

Right now, he looked horrible. I wasn't sure which one of us was worse off. His brown eyes were filled with a startling array of emotions. Within them I saw anger, frustration, worry, desperation, sadness, pleading and finally... fear. So much fear.

I couldn't remember the last time I had seen him so afraid over anything. He rarely ever seemed to, and this time it was all over me. My small insignificant life, and all the broken coarse shards that were left.

I deflated, suddenly feeling so tired and weak inside.

"What do you want me to do?" My voice reflected the weight of exhaustion, and in turn Will's expression softened, though it still remained stern.

"I was prepared to be nice tonight, to try and – as gently as I could – push you firmly towards what needs to be done." He finally let go of my arm. "I'm still prepared to do that. All I need from you is to care enough to eat something, it doesn't matter how small right now, and I'll back off a bit."

He made it sound so easy, yet nothing had ever felt farther from the truth.

"Don't," I lifted my head, senses alert at the sign of a conditional, "and I'm afraid you will end up in the medical wing by tomorrow morning."

I scowled at him in accusation. "A person can survive a month without food. Why do you insist on pushing me so hard so soon?"

"It's not my call." Will managed to sound regretful of the fact. "It was the CMO's call. I had to compromise with him, but frankly I can't argue with him. He's the best there is. If you don't start making your first steps to recovery today, you'll be in his hands. I don't have a say in it anymore."

What he was asking of me felt unattainable. I'd dug myself into a pit so deep that it now seemed pointless to try and climb out of it. It was a useless notion. I had nearly had enough of this.

" _What do you want me to do?_ " I stressed out, searching for a better answer.

Will gazed at me as if that was the dumbest and most obvious question in the universe."I just want you to get better, no matter what it takes. I don't care if you have to cry your heart out or shout to the heavens. Just feel something! Anything is better than what you're doing to yourself right now. I can't stand it, and neither would Dad. What would he say if he saw you like this?"

My body went rigid.

And just like that, my fragile control snapped like a twig. Within the first second, a sharp stab of pain laced through my chest cavity, bordering on physical in nature. By the next second, that pain had boiled over into a frightening cataclysm of rage.

"Do not... _ever_... mention him again," I hissed out, voice dripping with toxicity.

Will froze, staring at me strangely. I could almost empathize with the pure sense of shock and bafflement coming off him in waves, if I hadn't been nearly blinded by my own emotions.

"Why..." He blinked in bewilderment, mouth gaping as he tried to work past the shock. "Why don't you want me to talk about him?"

I couldn't answer that question. I needed to get out of here. I was already exerting a tremendous amount of energy just to keep from acting on my fury and doing something stupid. Before he could inquire further, I spun around and attempted to dismiss myself, stomping across the tarmac.

"Wait!" A hand reached out for me again, triggering an instant defensive reaction I had never experienced before.

In my desperation I did something that neither of us would ever forget. As he went to grab for me I lashed out, elbowing him as hard as I could and sending him dropping to the ground.

The instinct to flee flared with a vengeance, and after what I just did I was not going to deny it. I sprang into a run, swiftly ducking in behind the dark alleys of the military complex. From the distance I heard Will groan before a beep followed, the type usually heard while communicating through a radio. He was calling for help.

Spurred forth by the fact that I would now have to avoid more people soon, I moved faster and quieter, balancing to the balls of my shoes as I weaved between numerous buildings. The sun had begun to set, the structures now casting long shadows. I clung to them for cover, in full flight mode.

Minutes later my ears picked up the sound of multiple voices and footsteps. I trembled slightly as the adrenaline pumped its way through my system. As the voices and footsteps got too close for comfort I bolted, heading further down the tip of the island.

I soon found myself next to the hanger that had been deemed off limits. Looking around the corner of an adjacent building, I could see Will and his teammates scanning the area, jogging and searching every alley carefully. They were heading this way, getting closer. I didn't have a lot of time.

I looked up at the hanger. It was massive, probably a large storage facility with some experimental military prototypes. There would be plenty of space to hide in it should anyone come looking. Assuming the steel door close by didn't have an alarm on it, I could walk right in without a problem.

With one last look over my shoulder I ignored my brother's warnings, flung the steel door open and slipped inside.

I swung my head around, observing my surroundings under the bright ceiling lamps. It hadn't been a storage hanger like I'd anticipated. Instead, I had walked into a long corridor, devoid of anything notable except the tall pale walls and tall ceiling height.

Uncertain, I trudged down the hallway, on the lookout for any doors leading to rooms I could take refuge in. It wasn't long before I began to make out sounds I did not recognize. A series of noises consisting of sharp tones and clicks echoed from the direction I was heading. I stood still and listened, unable to decipher their origins. I stopped, considering turning back and finding a different way through the building.

I would have had I not glanced over my shoulder and heard the signs of approaching voices behind the steel door, drawing closer. They would reach in within seconds.

I reacted in a split-second decision. Strange noises aside, I needed to find a place to take cover, and fast.

I practically flew down the hallway faster than I'd ever ran before. I passed a few small doors and kept on going, knowing that I needed to find a place deeper inside the structure.

The end of the hallway was just up ahead, leading into a larger space from what I could tell. I fully intended to slide around the corner and surmise where to go from there, but when I reached to corner that plan instantly left my mind.

I stopped, everything stopped. Heart, breath, mind, time. It all came to a screeching halt at the sight that presented itself before me. I stared up, wide-eyed and unmoving, facing the objects of my nightmares.

Paralysed with a deep, gut-wrenching terror.

All attention was on me as the mechanical beings turned and stared. Dead silence permeated the air, yet it was deafening. Nothing moved.

And then I was in someones arms.

"Skylar, you need to breathe."

I gasped and coughed, sinking down to my knees. Will crouched down with me, holding my trembling form in a tight embrace.

"What the hell is this?" I asked breathlessly, cowering into him as I kept my eyes focused on the four beings towering over us.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but it'll be okay. There's no need to be afraid."

" _No_ _need to be afraid?!_ " I jerked myself out of my brothers arms, jumping back to my feet and whirling on him. "How the fuck can you say that? Those things are _monsters_! They murder people, and yet you're just keeping them around here?"

Will reached out and grasped both of my shoulders, forcing me to keep my attention on him. His expression was deadly serious.

"These guys aren't the same as the one you met. They're the good guys, the ones trying to protect us all from those that would terrorize and kill us."

I pulled away harshly, turning to face them all as I backed down the hall.

"No. I don't believe it. _It doesn't make sense!_ " I raked my hands through my hair, hearing the growing hysteria in my voice.

"Miss Lennox, please calm down. Your heart rate is rising to alarming levels. You need to listen to your brother. We mean you no harm."

It was a miracle that somehow in my frantic state I still managed to recognize the familiarity of that voice. It held a slightly metallic quality, but it was still one and the same with the face that came to mind. I looked up at the yellow machine that had been the one to speak.

"Ratchet?" I asked in confusion. The robots eyes - clear glowing blue - flicked over to Will before nodding his head slowly in confirmation.

"Oh, this is too much." I moaned, cradling my head as it burned and I began to feel dizzy. My vision grew fuzzy and dark around the edges before my body finally gave out from the stress. I swayed and collapsed.

The last thing I remembered was being carried before the world went dark.

* * *

The next thing I saw was fire. Everything was burning. I stood in the centre of unidentifiable ruins as the blaze crackled and ate away at my surroundings. Beyond the senseless destruction was darkness, an unending blackness that closed in and suffocated me from all sides.

I picked my way slowly through the area, stepping carefully over the rubble. My eyes darted around the area, searching for the cause of my never ending fear. I was being watched.

A tingle went down the back of my neck. I stopped dead and slowly, filled with dread, turned.

My stomach dropped.

There, out in the deep darkness were two pinpoints of crimson staring down at me from high above. They exuded so much malice and disgust that I couldn't breath under its gaze. I couldn't do anything but watch helplessly. I made to back away, but when nothing happened my heart jumped in panic.

I couldn't move!

A low grinding sound send chills through me as the monstrous abomination laughed at my pitiful weakness. Its eyes narrowed in a cruel warning of what was to come, and a blur of sliver was all I could make out as steel claws lashed out to carve my flesh and draw my blood.

I gasped, a scream stuck halfway up my throat as I jolted awake, bashing my head against something in the process. I groaned, checking my surroundings desperately. Relief cascaded over me. I was back in my room at the barracks, safe and sound.

For now anyways.

Outside the windows it was still night. The sun was only just starting to light up the horizon, turning it a slightly lighter shade of black. I sat up carefully in the dark of my room, minding the top of the bunk bed this time and folded my legs close to my chest, wrapping my arms around them.

Something wet slid down my cheeks and before the sadness even hit me, I was crying. My shoulders trembling and jerked with each ragged breath as I sobbing uncontrollably. I didn't even know why I was crying. The only thing I did know was that it felt like I would never stop.

The Novocain effect was gone, shattered, turned to dust and blown away in the wind. Everything I'd been working so hard to repress came rushing back full force. The weight of it was too much, I felt like I would crush under it. I tried to take deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself down, but every inhale was a downhill battle.

I didn't know how to cope with this. It was so much bigger and stronger than me. It was like I was in the middle of an ocean during an angry storm. I'd try and fight with every bit of my willpower to reach the surface, but as soon as I did the tide would sweep me under again. I couldn't identify what had caused this breakdown, but it all pointed to one inescapable, horrific fact.

There was nothing standing between me and my shame.

I flinched away from the memory, burying my head in my hands. I wished more than anything that I could erase it from existence so it could never hurt me anymore. My mind was in overdrive, reanimating everything I'd been trying to forget in vivid detail, torturing and taunting me, mocking my ignorance.

The dream wouldn't fade either. It had been so strong and clear that it left me confused, wondering what could have triggered it. How had I even been asleep in the first place when I hadn't done so in over a week?

The memories from yesterday flowed to me willingly, supplying the answers and filling in all the blanks.

I blinked, stunned. There was no way that had actually been real!

I'd seen some truly unsettling things in the past month, so it wasn't too far a stretch to believe that those similar robots were here. But to accept that fact... was to accept that Will was somehow involved in all this. That he knew all along what had happened and what I had been hiding this whole time.

It was an uncomfortable thought that I was stranded on the same island as those things. They were dangerous! They could kill us with a swipe of their hands, and yet my brother was working with them? The military was working with them? It was almost too impossible to comprehend!

" _They're the good guys, the ones trying to protect us all from th_ _ose_ _that would terrorize and kill us_."

I shook my head. How could he be so sure, how did he even come to know any of this? More importantly, why would beings such as them try to protect us?

What did they have to gain from it?

So many questions and zero answers. My head felt like it was on fire from being overworked. Still, I clung to the train of thought like a lifeline. Somehow, it had managed to calm my nerves enough. The crying had long since stopped, and the pain in my heart had dulled to a bearable ache.

A sense of determination filled me as the thirst for knowledge called me to take action. If I wanted any answers, chances were I'd have to pursue them myself.

A decidedly awful idea occurred to me, one that would likely end with me in a state of panic or something far worse. I wasn't sure I had the resolve to pull it off, but in the interest of closure and confirming for real what my eyes had witnessed last night, I needed to do this.

Reluctantly, I got out of my bed and walked over to the window, looking out over the landscape before enacting my plan. There appeared to be very few guards out on the night watch, much less near this end of the island, so I worked my fingers underneath the frame of the glass and steel pane and slid it open. I locked it in place before carefully slipping through it and outside.

Quickly checking the direction I needed to head in, I crouched low to the ground and crept along the back of the barracks, sticking to the darkest areas as I made my way gradually across the complex and to the top secret hanger.

I glanced around carefully to double check that I would be in no ones sight-line. The steel door I had entered through yesterday was right across from me. I glanced around once more before inching forward, feeling a pang of doubt about what I was about to do. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. What would I do if I came across one of them?

I shook my head and growled to ward the feeling away. I had to do this. If one of them happened to notice me, then I'd deal with that road when I went down it. I reached out and hastily grabbed the door knob.

"What'cha lookin' for, lil lady?"

I gasped and spun.

And there right behind me was one of them, towering over me so closely that I knew I couldn't even risk making a run for it. The thing would catch me in an instant and everything would be over.

I was effectively trapped.

I sunk down low against the wall, whimpering piteously and accepting my fate. But instead of making it's final move the metal being did something that completely stalled all thought.

It waved its arms frantically, appearing alarmed. "Easy there, ah ain't gonna hurt ya!"

I blinked slowly at it in stunned silence for a minute as I attempted to find my voice.

"I don't believe you," was the first thing that came out, and I cursed internally at how stupidly defiant that sounded. Sure, anger the damn thing. As if I weren't already screwed.

"Ah can assure ya, ah have no intention of harmin' ya. Yer the Major's lil sis after all. We want nothin' more than ta protect ya."

It didn't do much if anything to ease my anxiety, and there was one big flaw to it's logic.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"'Cause if ah weren't, ya'd be dead by now."

Wow, that was very blunt indeed. Undeniable logic. Thanks robot, that made me feel loads better.

Somehow I think it sensed my inner reaction, because it's metal mouth curved up into a... well, a grin. That was the only explanation I had for the expression, because it was either that or it was about to eat me.

I breathed in deeply, watching it with a careful eye. When it made no move to come towards me, staying where it was patiently, I made my choice.

"You promise you won't harm me?"

"Cross mah spark. Ya have nothin' ta be afraid of." As if to prove its point it made the actual motions, gesturing with long clawed fingers across it's silver chest, which I now realized looked strangely like the front bumper of a Pontiac Solstice.

I gave the thing a once over before cautiously standing back up, sidestepping slowly around its large form with unease.

"There ya go, much better," it – no, _he_ – agreed, because the voice was distinctly male. It had a deep mature bass that, now that I thought about it, was actually quite pleasant to listen to along with the strange accent.

Speaking of which, he appeared to not be doing much, simply crouched down and stayed relatively still, watching me like he was waiting for something.

I took the chance to actually look at him clearly, now that a large amount of my initial panic had died down. I realized he actually wasn't as big as the ones from last night. Quite a lot smaller in fact. His body was more stocky than anything else, with a broad round chest. On either side of his head were small horn shaped aerials, and on the top half of his face was a visor of sorts, so I couldn't actually see his eyes or anything. Not that it would matter.

I circled around him carefully, still nervous to his sudden appearance. His blue tinted visor stayed on me, calmly watching and still waiting for something to be said.

I decided to go with the first thing that came to mind.

"How'd you sneak up on me like that?" I blurted out, feeling momentarily embarrassed at myself. I was trying to make conversation with an intelligent machine of unknown origin or alliance. How had it come to this?

"Let's just say ah can be very sneaky when ah want ta be." If it were ever possible for a robot to appear sly, this one somehow managed it.

"Okay..." I hesitated, raising an eyebrow at that. "Why did you feel the need to?" I asked next. My voice held an obvious note of suspicion and displeasure of that fact.

The robot tilted his head, seemingly in amusement. "'Cause ya were headin' somewhere ya weren't supposed ta."

I frowned. "But I was already in there last night, shouldn't that make the whole 'top secret' thing moot now?"

To my surprise, the robot chuckled. It was a surprisingly human sound. "Ah suppose it could be seen that way, but that's not yer call ta make ah'm afraid. Does yer brother know what yer up ta?"

I shifted uncomfortably, staring down at the ground. It felt a bit ironic, getting scolded by one of these creatures.

"Ah thought so." The robot hummed speculatively. "Fortunately for ya, ah'm not the best at followin' rules mahself."

I looked back up in confusion, wanting to know what that last statement had meant, but he was already continuing.

"Now, let me ask ya somethin'. What were ya intendin' ta do jus' now?"

"Ummm..." I didn't know quite how to phrase it, considering part of what I'd been searching for was standing right before me. "I... I was looking for closure, for starters anyways."

"Of?"

I stared at him. It was the only clue he needed.

The robot nodded his head in understanding. "Ya wanted ta confirm that what ya saw last night was real. And the other reasons?" he pressed.

"Well, umm..." I let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of my neck and avoided the question.

"Hmm, ya wanted ta learn more, perhaps?"

I remained silent. He was half right, but I wouldn't have put it that plainly. There was so much more to it. What I really desired was a full explanation to, well... Everything.

The silver robot stared for a long while. I swallowed and took a few steps backwards. I couldn't see his eyes, yet it felt like he gazing right through me, picking me apart from the inside and trying to make sense of me.

"The sun will be up soon." I jolted as his voice pierced the air. "Yer brother has always been an early raiser, so ya should make yer way back before he finds out ya have been out here."

Great. He was basically telling me to go to my room. At least it sounded like he was letting me off without tattling. I almost groaned when I realized how complicated things were going to get when Will came to collect me. He'd undoubtedly want to talk about it.

It was immensely difficult to turn my back on the silver machine, but I had little choice. I began strolling around the backside of the buildings, retracing my steps that would take me back to the barracks.

"Oh, and Sky?"

I half-turned back towards the robot in confusion, blinking when I noticed the mischievous smile lifting the plates around his mouth.

"For yer information, ah believe the humans say, not a lot of soldiers hang around this building after midnight. Might be the perfect opportunity ta get those explanations ya've been wanting, don't ya think?"

I gaped at him, not quite believing my ears. Had he just told me I could sneak out and come back later?

Through the shock I managed to nod stiffly. Satisfied, the stocky robot stretched up to his full height and trudged off behind the other side of the hanger without another word.

My eyes followed him in bemusement. That hadn't turned out like I expected at all. Strangely enough, it filled me with an unusual sense of joy and excitement. Grinning like a maniac, I broke out into a full sprint, determined to reach my room before Will found it empty. All that time I couldn't help the impression that I was looking forward to the night.

What was wrong with me?

* * *

 _Here we go, now we're getting into some of the more interesting stuff. And my surprise to everyone who loves a certain saboteur; Jazz is alive! The mech just couldn't resist saying hi. The way they killed him off in the first movie was just stupid and unnecessary, so I'm rewriting that. It never happened. It's nothing mystical to the reason he's alive, but you'll all find out the same time that Skylar does... Or I can just tell you in the next authors note. Your choice guys. Also, damn his accent is a pain. Took me a while to come up with a way to write it, and right now it's dialed up to maximum. If his accent is too confusing and needs some dialing down make sure to let me know and I'll adjust future interactions accordingly._

 _For those wondering about our elusive taller silver mech, he'll be appearing next chapter, but don't expect too much from him just yet. He's definitely not feeling his best._

 _Once again, thank you to all my readers, reviewers, followers and favourites. Let me know what you guys think, and remember that constructive criticism will always be welcome here._

* * *

 **Date posted: October 16th, 2015**


	8. Chapter 8: Explanations

_Hello all. Sorry for the wait. NaNoWriMo is officially whooping me in the rear right now, however I managed to squeeze in some time to proofread this before submitting it. I also want to take this time to inform you all of the story I'm using my NaNoWriMo time to write. It's another fanfiction that, assuming I finish it, will be submitted on this site later this year. If any of you like Halo (the video game), my story might be a treat for you to look forward to. It's a prequel to a series of Halo installments I have planned in the future. If anyone wants some context on the prequel, you can PM me for more information._

 _Now that I got that news out of the way, onwards and downwards._

* * *

 **~Chapter Eight~**

 **Explanations**

* * *

I made it back to my room in time, quickly climbing through the window and securing it shut before flopping down on the bed. However, I only had about a few minutes to catch my breath and gather my thoughts before someone was knocking on my door.

Talk about a close shave.

I buried myself in the sheets before calling out, "Come in."

The door opened and Will's head peeked around the edge of the frame. His hair was tousled from sleep, and his eyes were still weary. It appeared like he had haphazardly thrown on some clothes before rushing right over here after waking. For all I knew, that's exactly what he did.

"Good morning," Will spoke softly as he stepped into the room and approached me. I nodded back slowly, pretending as if I had just woken up myself and were still drowsy.

Having nowhere to sit, Will made do by settling down cross-legged on the floor beside my bed. He made every move slowly, like he was afraid of startling me or something.

I stared at him, maintaining a dazed expression, as if I were oblivious to why he was here right now. I had a feeling I knew what was coming next.

"How are you feeling?" he inquired gently.

I grunted. "Alright. Feeling a bit bleh and sleepy, but other than that I'm fine."

"Listen," he started hesitantly, "we need to talk about last night."

There it was. I'd already decided what I was going to do next. Now it was time to play that route and see if it would actually work out the way I wanted it to.

"Why, what happened?" I asked casually, pretending to wipe sleep from my eyes.

Will frowned at me, confused. "What do you mean? Don't you remember anything?"

I paused in false thought before answering, "No, I don't believe so. All I remember is waking up here and not recalling how I got to sleep. Why, is there something that I should know?"

Had I not been attempting to pull off a very skillful poker face, I might have laughed as his own turned pale in alarm. After all that had happened I couldn't say I blamed him. I had feigned memory loss so many times that he was probably worried I had acquired some permanent brain damage along the way.

He didn't seem to know how to proceed next. His forehead creased and he frowned deeply before he shook his head dismissively. "No, it's nothing. You just passed out around dinner last night. Scared the hell out of me, but after finding out you were okay I carried you back here."

I nodded casually, trying to keep my cool while my mind shouted out in indignation. Sure, it had been my plan all along to somehow dodge the subject and possibly buy me more time, and it had worked... but somehow it still managed to stun me.

Was he really this willing to let me believe that nothing had happened, allowing me to exist in ignorance? It twisted my heart in a strange way that my own brother seemed afraid of just being honest with me, consequences be damned. Then again, it was a two way street. I hadn't been too honest as of late either...

Though it bothered me to consider of how far he was willing to go to shield me from the truth, I couldn't afford to bring it up yet. Another time maybe. I still had a ton of stuff to sort out in my head, and I had the feeling that most of it had to be done on my own time and terms.

Will sighed and stood up at my bedside. "You sure you're feeling okay?" he asked again, just to be sure. When I nodded and put on a weak smile for show, he inclined his head towards the door. "You should go get cleaned up. Come down to the cafeteria for breakfast when you're done. Not many people are awake yet, so you should have the showers to yourself."

"Okay, thank you." I responded neutrally.

"See you in an hour," he finished before walking out of the room. I didn't miss the way he seemed to be walking so slow, his usual brisk pace was nonexistent right now. That alone was testament to how exhausted he truly was.

I had a feeling most of that was my fault.

Getting up from the bunk, I grabbed some plain clothes out of the unpacked duffel, a high collared tank top and some thin denim jeans. Grabbing a towel and toiletries as well, I wrapped it all into a neat bundle and sped down to the woman's showers.

I let out a breath of relief as I opened the doors and peaked around to discover them vacant. The halls had been quiet on the way here too, so I should have at least a small amount of time to myself. This was a good thing, since I very much preferred my privacy.

I put my clean clothes to the side and out of the way as I quickly ripped off my old ones from yesterday, tossing them carelessly to the floor. I stepped under a shower head and turned the handle all the way to the left. Scalding water cascading down my scalp and skin, leaving it red and angry. I didn't even flinch. I was used to the heat, and it would help soothe some of the soreness of my body.

After maybe ten minutes under the stream I decided I was clean enough and turned off the tap. Picking up the towel, I walked over to one of the sinks, only to stop and backtrack a few steps as I caught sight of my reflection in one of the mirrors mounted on the ceramic tile of the wall.

I hadn't really looked in a mirror for about a few weeks, but the difference was startling. What had I done to myself?

I had always been on the thinner side. My body had been filled out with lean muscle and little to no excess fat, simply because of how active I was every single day. That had appeared to work against me now. The good doctor Ratchet had been right.

My body was skinnier than I'd ever seen it. A noticeable amount of my muscle tone had dissipated over the course of the last few weeks and individual ribs were visible through tightly drawn skin. My collarbone was more prominent, standing out almost unnaturally. My hair also appeared to be less healthy, taking on a dark and frizzy quality compared to my usual mane of golden brown gloss.

I watched as my hollow and dull blue eyes widened, appalled upon the realization of how much damage I'd done. Bouncing back from this would be... difficult. Getting my full strength back would take even longer.

I hadn't felt the change before, but I was wincing in regret for my actions now.

I dried myself off in a stupor, shivering in mild disgust every time my hands grazed a joint or bone that jutted out a little too far for my liking. I got dressed in a hurry, wondering if maybe I should rethink the tank top and go for something that would cover a bit more skin. As I zoomed back to my room, I threw down the old clothes and toiletries, donning a thin grey cardigan to cover my shoulders and deciding it was time to make my way down to the cafeteria.

I didn't know what to expect of myself when I arrived there, but it would have been unwise of me to not show up. I truly did not wish for another fight or flight situation again.

I exited the barracks and paused to look up at the dawn sky, hues of pale pink and orange gracing the horizon in a beautiful and peaceful mixture. It was comforting to look at, and I almost wanted to stay there just to watch it for a while. However, the encounter from earlier this morning still had me jarred, and I decided it was in my best interest to go indoors immediately before I happened to run into another of those intimidating robots again.

Nighttime was still very far away. I would need all of that time to psych myself into accepting the stocky robot's invitation, and a run in with one of them now would only be a massive setback.

I speed walked across the tarmac to the cafeteria, entering to find Will, Epps, and two of his other squadmates sitting at one of the front tables. They had been casually chatting away and sipping coffee, but stopped and looked up when they heard the doors open.

"Come on over Sky. I already got a tray for you," Will called out lightly over his shoulder. I walked over and sat down beside him, looking down at the tray of food.

It didn't look like much, but based on the contents it was apparent he had been selective towards things that would be especially light on my currently highly sensitive stomach. The smell was still sending pangs through it, but at least it wasn't as overwhelming as before. The cafeteria was relatively devoid of life at this precise moment.

"Hey there Sky. How's your morning?" Epps greeted coolly.

 _Very interesting_ , was what I wanted to say, but since that would lead to questions of why so, I decided to go with something more neutral. "Well, the morning has barely even started yet, but I guess so far it's fine."

"Trust me, over here it can go one way or the other _very_ quickly," the man stated matter of factually, grinning away. Given my own experience on this island so far, he wasn't wrong.

"Seeing as we're on a military base, I wouldn't doubt it."

"Ha, you haven't even seen the worst of it yet. We haven't been called to action in a while, but it will happen again." I frowned at the hidden meaning in Epps tone, and out of the corner of my eye I caught Will shooting him a warning look.

"Well, not to jinx us, but hopefully there will be no need for our services any time soon," one of the other soldiers piped in, mildly disgruntled. Now that I thought about it really hard, I was sure this one's name was Joshua now, not Jason. He had short cut dirty blond hair and looked quite young to be here. He probably wasn't much older than me in fact.

"So, what kind of action do you guys see out here anyways? This base has to be for something." I asked casually while lightly pushing a pancake around my tray with a fork.

Will was about to answer with what I was sure would be a bullshit excuse, but Epps beat him to it. "Quite a few different things actually. We do weapons testing and development where we can. Also since we're in such a central area between land masses we get called out on rescue missions or isolated incidences of terrorism on occasion."

"Sounds cool," I stated simply. I wasn't unaware of my brother, who was giving me a cautious look at my sudden interest. His eyes fell to my tray and the torn up pancake I had been skewering.

"You going to eat something, or are you just going to continue murdering your food instead?"

I sighed and stared down at the tray with a narrowed gaze. My stomach wasn't feeling the best, but it wasn't doing back flips at least. I could probably eat, it would just had to be really simple and in small quantities.

Making a carefully considered decision, I picked up a piece of toast and ripped a bite size piece off of it. I felt the burn of everyone's gaze as I popped it in my mouth and chewed slowly. It was bland and difficult to swallow, but I managed to get it down without incident.

I turned to face Will with a slightly sarcastic expression. "There, happy now?"

He looked surprised, but nevertheless he nodded slowly, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a small smile. His brown eyes had softened with tentative hope at the small improvement in behaviour. "Just remember to take it slow for now."

"Don't worry. I don't plan on shoving my face full. That's reserved for you guys."

A few of the soldiers snorted before they all went back to the banter my entrance had interrupted. I continued tearing the piece of toast apart and eating, tuning them out for the most part as my attention focused inward.

Though I felt better than I had in a while, I knew that the hope in Will's eyes was misguided. I was far from out of the dark. The next few weeks – or months even – would be wrought with uncertainty. Many different paths and challenges lay before me, all of the unbeknownst for now except one.

Sixteen hours from now I would be facing my first one alone.

* * *

The rest of the day had turned out to be relatively uneventful. I had stayed cooped up in the office with Will again while he worked on and finally finished those government documents to be mailed away. After that we went to get dinner where I picked apart a few dinner rolls, and Will showed me to the rec room that the soldiers used to relax. We ended up hanging out there for the rest of the day.

I was pretty sure that Will would usually be working all this time, but instead he decided to remain beside me. I wasn't sure whether it was just for babysitting reasons or because he actually wanted to be hang around, but it wasn't an altogether bad evening.

Now night had fallen, and I was terrified.

I laid on top of my bunk, legs crossed and jigging one of them in agitation as I stubbornly fought off sleep. I had been watching the clock on the wall for a while now as all the hands gradually circled towards the top. Eleven forty-two it said, and I had still not made up my mind. To go or not to go?

Two opposing ends were warring inside my head right now. One side was for self preservation and safely. I could pass up the offer, continue to pretend I knew nothing, and when my time was up here I would leave and never think of it again.

The other side was for curiosity and answers. The desire to become more knowledgeable and prepared should I encounter danger again. Also, I needed to know the full story. The little that I had been told the night before during my hectic state had only confused me further. If the beings I had met last night were peaceful and defending us, then why? And why were there other members of their kind that were out there trying to kill us? It made little sense when all I had was a shred of a piece from a massive thousand set jigsaw puzzle.

Still, self preservation was a strong instinct. It was difficult to fight against, and for good reason. Could I risk it all for the chance at simply knowing?

Flashes of fire and claws assaulted my vision again, causing me to gasp and clutch at my chest for a proper breath through the anxiety. I hadn't know anything then, and look what had happened. This had to be done.

I glanced up at the clock again. Eleven fifty-four.

I should have already been dead once. Any time I had after that was just considered a bonus at this point, and if I ended up dying tonight than so be it.

I scoffed at myself, realizing the ridiculousness in that thought. If these ones had wanted me dead, I would be dead. And if my brother and the government were working with them, then they had to be harmless to us. I'd figure out the rest of the story very soon, hopefully.

I vaulted off the bunk, almost forgetting about the top layer and smashing my head against it a second time. I pulled my cardigan close around me since nights tended to get pretty chilly here, and climbed out the window, following along the same path I had that morning. There were tall lamps scattered around the base, but luckily they were no where near me, and the rest of the complex was pitch black. It was almost too easy to sneak around.

I came up to the door of the hanger and quickly entered, half balking when I expected one of them to be right on the other side waiting. The hall was empty. I tread carefully down it, deciding to head to the same area I had seen them last time. The stocky robot hadn't given me a specific location, so this was the best bet.

There it was again. That giddy excitement mixed with a healthy dose of fear. As I reached closer to the common area, the mixture grew more chaotic, till it felt like my heart was a jackhammer trying to burst out of my chest.

I knew they were there before I rounded the corner. I could here them talking, murmuring, though it was so low that my ears couldn't make out what they were saying. My steps slowed as they finally came into view, and all my senses were on high alert. They didn't immediately say anything, which I had a feeling was intentional on my behalf, to give me time to adjust.

Could have done without the staring though.

At least they were giving me the chance to carefully look them all over, though I had to crane my neck back quite far to do so. There were five of them, all varying greatly in body shape, height and colours. They had way more defining traits than us humans.

The robot that immediately grabbed my attention was a large red and blue one. He was the tallest of the bunch and also strangely seeming to posses the most human shape, with broad metal shoulders, long legs and arms with five fingered hands. It hadn't been those features that had captured my attention so much as the regal quality this one exuded. The robot stood so straight and proud you couldn't think of him as anything other than a wise soul. It would not surprise me in the least if he happened to be their leader.

The one that caught my attention next caused a far more negative reaction. He was pitch black and bulky, with thick limbs and visible battle scarring. The build suggested that this one was the powerhouse of the bunch, made for fighting. For some reason this made me shift in anxiety with the urge to leave the area immediately. Needless to say I didn't spend a lot of time dwelling on it.

From there my eyes quickly turned to one that was more familiar. It was the yellow robot that had spoken last night, and for some reason carried the identical voice of the human medic that I had met several times. I wasn't sure how that was possible, but it was definitely near the top of my list of questions when I got the chance.

Next was a strange one. He wasn't as tall as the others. His body shape was unusual and less human than the rest of them with long, strong looking legs and a short _very_ wide torso. For some reason he also seemed to possess _tires_ for feet and was balancing on them like a pair of roller skates. And let's not forget the fact that he only had three fingers. How could he even hold anything properly with those?

Then finally there was the short one I had met that morning, who was currently the closest one to me and seemed to be grinning like a crazed maniac. Probably just happy I had decided to come, but I sent him a strange look anyways.

The one feature I had noticed they all shared were these soft glowing blue eyes. Blue... not red. They held a gentleness unlike their opposite, filled with peace and patience instead of hate and murder. It stuck me as strange that I could pick up such emotions from something so unfamiliar as those glowing orbs of light.

I flinched when my eyes caught movement as the small silver robot crouched down closer and held a clawed hand extended palm up and flat towards me. I blinked up at him in confusion, but all he did was give an encouraging smile. What did he want me to do, shake it or... or hop into it?

Whatever it was I wasn't remotely ready to get that close yet. I backed a single step away in silent decline. The robot seemed somewhat disappointed, but understood and accepted it as he pulled his hand away.

Deciding I didn't feel particularly comfortable standing at their feet either, I glanced around till I spotted some scaffold stairs to the left of me. I walked slowly around to the foot of the steps, never taking my eyes off of them, and climbed up till I was at the top level. I no longer had to bend my neck at awkward angles to see them either. It was a huge relief.

I was almost disappointed that no one else was willing to speak up first, even though I knew it would only startle me. I guess it was all up to me then. Where to start though?

After a moment of hesitating and thinking I finally came up with somewhere to start.

"Alright," I started as I paced around to help with the nerves, "You all should know why I'm here. A lot has happened lately that makes no sense to me. Horrible things. And I don't mean to be rude... but since you presumably share the same... race... as the being I saw a few weeks ago, it's only fair you explain to me _why_?" I sighed heavily. "Are you willing to answer my questions?"

The regal one I'd dubbed as the boss was the one to respond, further strengthening that theory. The gravity and deep baritone of the voice sent shivers down my spine, but also triggered warning bells inside my head, like deja vu. I shoved the feeling down in favour of listening. I could think about it later.

"Yes, we will answer any questions you may have. You have been through difficult times, and deserve to know. I am very sorry for the pain you – and your brother – have been caused."

I couldn't help but believe him, however now was no time for condolences. "So you must know what I'm about to ask first then."

"I do," he admitted, "but first, in order for you to understand, you must know of our own history. Will you listen?"

I nodded in acceptance, and he began his tale.

"We were one a peaceful race of autonomous organisms. We lived in harmony and peace upon our home planet Cybertron for many, many millions of years. And amoung our race reigned two factions; The Autobots and the Decepticons.

"However the peace, it appears, was not meant to last. Few noticed the Decepticon's leader Megatron changing, growing a spark for greed and a lust for power. Eventually he gained many followers and attempted to offline anyone who would stand in his way of conquest for total dominance. All of Cybertron broke out into an Energon soaked civil war that has lasted for many eons, and still continues to this day."

It was a lot to absorb, but I did manage to glean one thing from it. "So the one that attacked me... that was a Decepticon."

"Yes," the leader nodded solemnly.

"Okay," I breathed, head spinning, "So all of you are the Autobots then?"

"That is correct, young one, though the full term would be Autonomous Robotic Organisms." The yellow one, Ratchet, informed me.

I took another deep breath to calm myself, one big question coming to mind. "But why are you on Earth then, why are both factions here?"

"We came here in pursuit of an artifact of our race called The All Spark," their leader continued. "It was an ancient device that was the source of life for much of our race and planet. Megatron, in his unquenchable thirst for power, desired the artifact so that he could use it to create an army capable of wiping out everyone who opposed him and gain control of the universe. We jettisoned it into space, where it fell to Earth. Megatron followed it to Earth, and we in turn pursued him."

"Wait a minute." I interrupted, my mind catching onto the past tense. "Was?"

The Autobot's eyes filled with so much sadness and loss that I wished I'd never asked.

"The All Spark was destroyed, so as to keep the Decepticons from getting their hands on it."

"So that means..."

"It means that our planet will remain as it is," the black Autobot concluded. I jerked unconsciously at his gruff voice. "The All Spark would have helped to rebuild it, but now that it is gone we have no hope of such a thing. The planet is uninhabitable."

"I'm sorry," I said, bowing my head at their loss. "So is that why you remained here? With nowhere else to go..."

"That is part of the reason," The red and blue bot explained. "Megatron perished with The All Spark, however many of his soldiers still reside here. It is because of this that a Human/Autobot alliance was formed, and with their help we continue to hunt those that have remained. We do not yet know why they have stayed, or why more continue to come."

This was all so much to take in. It was weird, to come here being utterly afraid, and so quickly have that fear turn to sympathy and a marginal amount of understanding. For however short a time I'd almost blamed them for the horror I had faced, yet now I could see that was the furthest thing from the truth.

That... _Decepticon_ was the monster. These beings just felt so... human. Somehow it didn't even feel different talking to them, if a bit surreal. They talked and expressed themselves the same as us. The only difference I'd seen so far was that they were made out of metal instead of flesh.

"So, lil lady," the short Autobot spoke up from below, "Any of this helpin' ya out?"

"Yes," I admitted, "I think it's going to take a bit of time for it all to set in, but I do understand to some extent." I turned to look at the group as a whole. "None of it was your fault..." I turned my eyes to the leader's, "So there's no need to be sorry."

He nodded with a small sincere smile."We are happy to have provided some peace of mind."

That niggling feeling I had when they spoke announced it's presence again. It was impossible, but it was driving me insane. Their voices, all of them except for the two silver bots, one of which hadn't even said anything yet, sounded so similar to voices I had heard speaking to me before all this. Hell, even their colours looked familiar.

 _But how?_

"One question though," I popped out suddenly. "Why does it seem like I've met most of you already... before last night, I mean?"

"'Cause ya have. At least, ya have for those three." Short and stocky gestured to the leader, the black bot, and the yellow one.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when the yellow bot, Ratchet stepped forward and out of nowhere produced a perfect replica of his human counterpart in the palm of his hand.

"How..." I trailed off, eyes going wide. I blinked a few times, not quite believing it.

"These are holoforms, three dimensional solid projections that we use to better interact with the human world," Ratchet explained simply, like it was no big deal. "Few people can tell the difference between these and a normal human."

"That's... that's just..." My world tilted as my head began to feel too light. "I think I need to sit down." I sank heavily to the steel of the scaffolding. The short one laughed at my antics.

"Okay, so I'm gonna need to learn all your names." I told them abruptly. "I keep referring to that one as 'short and stocky' and it's driving me crazy now."

The bot shouted out indignantly. "Hey! That's a very rude thing ta say. Ah'll have ya know that ah'm a lot more capable than ah look."

"I'm sure you are," I said with a slight smirk. "Now, name?"

The bot grinned. "Name's Jazz. First Lieutenant."

"Nice name. I think it suit's you." I smiled before turning to the black one reluctantly. "And you?"

"Ironhide," he stated shortly, "Weapons Specialist."

Even more reason to keep away from him.

"You?" I turned to the tall blue and red.

"Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots." Jackpot. I had been right on the leader vibe. "You already know Ratchet. He is Chief Medical Officer of the Autobots and the most skilled in his profession." Said Autobot gave a curt nod in an official greeting as Optimus Prime turned towards the last of the group. "And this is one of our Frontliners, Sideswipe."

I gave a tiny wave to him, but the Autobot simply stared back blankly, uninterested. Now that I really looked him over, he appeared to be slouching forward, like the weight of his shoulders was too much to carry. I'd blame it on the overtly large torso, but it made no sense anatomically to be unable to balance himself. Rather, it appeared as if he were... sulking.

Sideswipe turned to look at his leader and said something in that same series of tones and clicks I'd heard last night, and proceeded to roll away on his wheeled feet, turning down a different corridor and out of sight.

I frowned after him in concern. Had I said or done something to offend him?

"Don't ya worry about it," Jazz reassured me, coming up to stand by the base of the stairs. "He's jus' goin' through a rough patch. He'll come 'round eventually."

"I'll take your word for it." I said, shaking my head lightly when I realized I'd still been staring in the direction the bot had disappeared off too.

"I'm kinda surprised about somethin' Sky."

"What would that be," I asked Jazz, glancing down at him in confusion.

"That ya haven't asked about our alt modes."

I stared at him blankly.

"Ya know, how we can transform?"

Transform?

"Come on femme, ya can figure this one out. Look at us all very closely. What do we look like?"

Completely bewildered but doing so anyways, I looked around at all of them. I had been thinking earlier about how they not only sounded familiar but _looked_ familiar _._ Suddenly what Jazz said and what my eyes had been seeing but not fully processing fell into place. The large windshield on Optimus' chest and flame decals like that truck I'd seen at the cemetary. The bright yellow colour and Search and Rescue letters on Ratchet. The large black form and night black paint of a similar beast that Will happened to own...

Oh. My. God.

I was never getting into that Topkick again.

"Noooo..." I froze on the spot while my brain sped a million miles ahead. "You... can turn into _cars_?"

"There ya go," Jazz congratulated with a grin.

I gazed at him, mouth gaping. The giddy excitement permeated me in full force, only this time none of the fear remained. It was gone like a leaf on the wind, never to be seen again. I could have never seen this coming. It was too spectacular for words. And I never wanted that feeling to end.

"You guys have to tell me more." I practically demanded, jumping up and eagerly leaning forward against the guardrail.

"What more do you wish to know?" Optimus inquired obligingly.

"Everything," I exclaimed, "Tell me everything you can."

* * *

 _Thank you to all who read, review, favourite and follow. I love you all. I'll try getting out the next update as soon as possible._

* * *

 **Date posted: November 5th, 2015**


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